Hepatitis infected Teku Limbu and Ramesh Dhakal and HIV positive Pusta Rai are being held in a separate room in the prison. Prisoners claim that head constable Mantuk Yadav has been providing the three with marijuana. The prison administration, security officers and prisoners searched their room after detecting the smell of marijuana, and found 15 grams of the drug in their possession.
Prisoners are demanding action against Yadav, who on the other hand, refutes the accusation. The prison administration has dismissed watchman Shambhu Chaudhary to abate the situation for the moment. As per prison rules, one of the prisoners is appointed as watchman in the prison. Prisoners have elected Madhusudan Manandhar, who is serving his sentence for murder, as the new watchman. Chaudhary is in prison on robbery charges.
There are 22 leaders in Morang prison, which is high, compared with the number of prisoners. “The leaders always argue with us,” says civil police ASI, Bikram Karki. The police are forced to take their prisoners outside without handcuffs and in civil clothes. According to Karki, if the police do not do as the leaders demand they bring out demonstrations and often force the police unit to be transferred. Sometimes prisoners beat up the police officers, when they are being taken to the hospital or the court.
Fifteen civil police officers under the supervision of an Assistant Sub Inspector and 75 Armed Police Force personnel under the Inspector are guarding the jail that has 550 prisoners. Jailer Khagendra Giri has already informed the local police and administration offices about the demonstration. "We are trying to control the situation," he said.
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