Kathmandu: Three inmates were killed on Thursday during clashes with security personnel at a prison, as more than 15,000 prisoners have escaped from over two dozen jails amid ongoing anti-government protests in Nepal.
With Thursday’s deaths, the total number of inmates killed during confrontations with security forces has risen to eight since violence erupted on Tuesday.
The unrest forced Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli to resign on Tuesday, after which the Nepal Army imposed restrictions nationwide due to the deteriorating law and order situation.
According to police sources, the latest incident occurred at the Ramechhap District Prison in Madhesh province, where three inmates were killed and 13 others injured in a violent clash with security personnel. The confrontation began when prisoners attempted to escape by causing an explosion with a gas cylinder. Security forces opened fire to regain control of the facility. The injured were taken to Ramechhap District Hospital.
Since Tuesday, clashes and mass escapes have been reported in over two dozen prisons across the country, often accompanied by arson and riots. According to The Kathmandu Post, “The jailbreaks began when youth protesters stormed multiple prison facilities, setting administrative buildings ablaze and forcing open prison gates. By Wednesday evening, preliminary reports confirmed that over 15,000 inmates had fled from more than 25 prisons, with only a fraction returning voluntarily or being rearrested.”
In Gandaki province, Kaski District Prison reported 773 escapees, including 13 Indian nationals and four other foreign prisoners, according to jailor Rajendra Sharma.
The Department of Prison Management is still compiling final figures from all provinces. Director General Lila Prasad Sharma confirmed that security forces—including the Nepal Army, Armed Police Force, and Nepal Police—have been deployed nationwide to re-arrest escapees and restore order. “We are mobilising all available resources to re-arrest them as quickly as possible,” DG Sharma told The Kathmandu Post.
Earlier, five juvenile inmates were killed in a clash with security personnel at Naubasta Correctional Home in Banke district on Tuesday night. The fatalities occurred after police opened fire when inmates tried to seize weapons from security staff. Four others were seriously injured.
Among the major prison escapes reported were Banke Juvenile Reform Centre (122 inmates), Banke District Prison (436), Central Jail in Sundhara, Kathmandu Valley (3,300), Nakkhu Prison in Lalitpur (1,400), and Dillibazar Prison (1,100). Other affected facilities included Mahottari’s Jaleshwar Prison (575), Jhumka Prison in Sunsari (1,575), Chitwan (700), Kapilvastu District Prison (459), Kailali Prison (612), Kanchanpur (478), and Sindhuli Prison (500).
Meanwhile, India’s paramilitary force, Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), apprehended 13 prisoners near the Bairganiya checkpoint on Thursday as they tried to cross the southern border. They were among inmates who had escaped from Gaur Prison in Rautahat district. “They will be handed over to the Nepal Police following due process,” a police source said.
Out of 291 prisoners serving sentences at Gaur Prison, nearly 260 escaped during the protests. Police have re-arrested 31, Indian authorities apprehended 13, and 216 remain at large.
