The death toll from the ongoing Gen Z protests in Nepal has climbed to 31, with officials confirming that preliminary identities of 25 victims have been established so far. According to the Department of Forensic Medicine at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, where the bodies are being kept, the identities of five men and one woman are still unknown. "We have carried out a postmortem following international protocol...We are asked to store the body...We cannot unveil details of the deceased as of now," said Dr Gopal Kumar Chaudhary, head of the department, as per The Kathmandu Post. Officials said documents recovered from incident sites and family identifications helped confirm most identities.
Prison violence and mass jailbreaks
Amid the ongoing unrest, at least three inmates died and 13 others were injured in a violent clash at Ramechhap district prison in Madhesh province on Thursday. The incident began when prisoners attempted to escape by detonating a gas cylinder. Security personnel opened fire to regain control, killing three inmates on the spot, news agency PTI reported citing police sources. The injured were rushed to Ramechhap District Hospital.
It is to be noted here that violence has engulfed prisons nationwide since Tuesday which has led to large-scale escapes. "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," reported The Kathmandu Post, quoting police.
Thousands of inmates flee
In Gandaki province's Kaski District Prison, 773 inmates managed to escape including 13 Indian nationals and four other foreigners, according to jailor Rajendra Sharma. The Department of Prison Management confirmed that final figures are still being compiled. Director General Lila Prasad Sharma said, "We are mobilising all available resources to re-arrest them as quickly as possible."
Earlier this week, five juvenile inmates were killed in clashes with security personnel at the Naubasta Juvenile Correctional Home in Banke district. They were shot when police attempted to stop inmates from snatching weapons during the chaos. Among the worst-hit facilities were the Central Jail in Sundhara (3,300 escapees), Nakkhu Prison in Lalitpur (1,400), Dillibazar Prison (1,100), Jhumka Prison in Sunsari (1,575), and Banke District Prison (436). Other prisons in Kapilvastu, Kailali, Kanchanpur, Mahottari, and Sindhuli also reported hundreds of escapees.
SSB detains 13 escaped prisoners
As the chaos spread, India's paramilitary force, the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), detained 13 escaped prisoners near the Bairganiya checkpoint along the India-Nepal border. "They will be handed over to the Nepal Police after following due process," a Nepal Police source said, as per the PTI. From Gaur prison in Rautahat district alone, 260 of 291 prisoners managed to escape during the protests. Police have so far re-arrested only 31, while 13 were captured by Indian forces. The remaining 216 are still absconding, as per officials.
(With inputs from PTI)
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