Bajura inmates living miserable life

BY SHER BAHADUR SARKI, Bajura, Aug. 17: The inmates and detainees of the prison in Martadi, Badimalika Municipality-9, in Bajura district, have been leading a miserable life.  

Established in 1980, the Bajura prision is in a dilapidated condition, and the concerned authorities have yet to take measures to bring it back to its original state. 

That said, the leaking roof has been repaired recently.

Rupesh Rawat, watchman of the prison office, said that the prison building has the capacity to accommodate 15 inmates. But, it currently houses 55, including 41 inmates and 14 detainees. Overcrowding has left the prison running out of space. 

Rawat said that beds and mattresses were in short supply, leaving the beds being shared with multiple inmates or sleeping on the floor. Most of the prisoners are even deprived of the education, he added. 

He added that the prison houses some people of over 50 years of age without kids and that their reproductive rights have also been denied. 

The budget of Rs. 650,000,000 allocated for the management of the prison is spent only on food. Rawat said that the budget should be used to improve the living standard as well as developing skills of the prisoners. The inmates have been receiving Rs. 60 and 700 grams of Jinsi Sita rice every day.

“There is also a risk of illegal stuffs being taken inside the prison through the under-construction road next to the prison’s wall. No one has taken the issue seriously despite complaints about it,” Rawat said.

Jailer Hansha Bahadur Bohara said that not just the prison building, the building of security guards is also in dilapidated condition and so they have to stay under the tent.

He added that 17 Nepal Army and four Nepal Police are stationed daily to guard the Bajura prison office. There is a high risk of building being collapsed by continuous rains this year, he added.