Officials at the Department of Prison Management (DoPM) attribute this to the increased police presence in far-flung villages, ahead of the Constituent Assembly’s (CA) election in April, and new legislation governing illegal arms possession introduced to curb growing criminal activities.
Until a year ago, the total number of inmates did not exceed 6,500. That number is, however, steadily rising over recent months, already crossing the 8,400 mark. "We are facing difficulties to accommodate prisoners, as their number is on the rise in the past few months," said Bhola Prasad Siwakoti, director general of the DoPM.
The number of inmates in 73 prisons across the country, most in dilapidated condition, was 7,870 in the mid-April to mid-May period. That number climbed to 7,979, and 8,199 in the succeeding two months, respectively.
The number of inmates stands at 8,401 between mid-October and mid-November, up from 8,322 in the previous month.
Officials at the DoPM say the main reason behind the growing number of inmates is increased police presence. "There is no chance for criminals to hide in rural villages as in the conflict period," says under secretary Rudra Khadka at the DoPM. "Police have their presence
in most parts of the country these days."
Of the total 1,979 police units across the country, Maoist conflict had displaced 1,271 police outposts, confining police to mostly district headquarters and urban areas.
Of the 73 prisons, including prison hospitals across the country, 14 were destroyed during the decade-long Maoist conflict. Three of these prisons are yet to come into operation. Worse, almost all these prison buildings are 100 to 150 years old, and have poor physical infrastructures.
DoPM director general Siwakoti, said the prisons are overcrowded also due to failure on the part of judicial and semi-judicial authorities to pass verdict on cases under consideration on time. "Detainees outnumber prisoners in our penitentiaries," he said.
For instance, 4,878 of the total 8,568 persons currently in jails across the country are detainees in mid-October to mid-November.
Officials said the increase in the number of inmates is also caused due to new legal provisions governing illegal arms possession.
"Police have arrested a large number of people belonging to armed outfits mainly in Tarai districts," said director general Siwakoti.
An amendment in the existing Arms and Ammunition Act 2019 BS made earlier this year has a provision to slap jail-terms on those found guilty of possessing illegal arms from six months to seven years, and fine an amount from Rs 5,000 to a maximum Rs 50,000. Previously, such persons could get released on bail against a new provision allowing police to keep guilty persons in judicial custody.
koshraj@myrepublica.com
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