A team led by Khadakraj Joshi, Coordinator of INSEC Far West Province Office, Dhangadhi, monitored the District Police Office and custody cell of Doti at District Jail on October 5.
Khadkaraj Joshi, Coordinator, INSEC Sudurpaschim Province Office, Dhangadhi, said that detention and prisons were monitored with the aim of obtaining information about the situation regarding the basic rights of detainees.
Joshi, INSEC Provincial Coordinator said that the inmates had to suffer due to the overcrowding in the jail and despite being a reformatory the district jail does not provide skills oriented training, programs related to income generation, and sports and entertainment facilities for the inmates in the district jail.
The team of INSEC Sudurpaschim Province office also discussed the human rights situation of the district with SP Bishnuhari Koirala,the District Police Office. SP Koirala of District Police Office, Doti said that the police are sensitive in the field of human rights and are conducting various campaigns to reduce criminal incidents.
Pradip Ojha, District Jailor, Doti said that although the District Jail, Doti has a capacity of 25 people including five women, there are more than double the capacity of inmates and since the physical structure of the prison is neglected, there is a problem in the management of the prison.Currently, there are 53 prisoners including one woman residing in the District Jail.Ojha expressed that because there are twice more prisoners than the capacity they are having trouble in sleeping and even using the toilet.
As per Ojha, the city building office allocated Rs.300000 for the maintenance of the prison last year. However the amount was not enough to repair it fully.
Bir Bahadur Tamrakar, a security guard at District Jail Doti, requested the monitoring team to help secure basic rights for prisoners because there’s a shortage of educational and recreational facilities.
During the monitoring and meeting session Joshi, the Coordinator of INSEC Sudurpaschim Province Office in Dhangadhi handed over the Nepal Human Rights Year Book 2023 to SP Bishnuhari Koirala of District Police Office and Information Officer Ojha of District Jail, Doti.