INSEC and other human rights organizations have jointly issued a press release demanding compensation to the families of the deceased and free treatment for those inmates injured in the clash that took place on August 8 at the District Jail, Kailali. According to preliminary on-site monitoring and information received from the injured and their families, the incident occurred due to severe negligence by security and administration.
The press release expressed heartfelt condolences to those who lost their lives in the incident and sympathy to the bereaved families. It wished a speedy recovery for the injured and urged the authorities to provide appropriate compensation to the families of the deceased and to keep the relatives informed about the condition of the injured. It emphasized that the government must take full responsibility for the treatment of the injured and ensure that necessary medical care is provided. Additionally, a high-level inquiry committee should be formed, including representatives from human rights activists and civil society to investigate the facts of the incident. Since overcrowding beyond capacity in the jail is a recurring cause of such incidents, necessary physical infrastructure be constructed to protect and promote the human rights of the inmates.
INSEC led a seven-member fact-finding committee to uncover the facts of the incident. The committee includes Sudurpashchim Province Coordinator Khadkaraj Joshi, Documentation Officer Krishna Bahadur Bishwakarma, Federation of Nepalese Journalists General Secretary Shivaraj Bhatta, Kailali District Court Bar Association Chairperson Indraprasad Lekhak, Women Human Rights Defenders Network member Gita Chaudhary, Pushpa Bikram Shahi from Advocacy Forum, and Devi Prasad Khanal of the Human Rights Defenders Network.
Khadkaraj Joshi, coordinator of INSEC Sudurpashchim Province office in Dhangadhi stated that the team will start studying the incident from 11 August. They will prepare a report based on the facts gathered during the study and submit it to the concerned authorities, then make it public.
