Female inmates in Banke district prison staged a protest on the prison premises today, demanding the transfer of their Naike. As part of the protest they padlocked the gate of the prison block they were kept in.

According to the prison Acting Chief Dipendra Poudel, dispute had surfaced in the prison’s female section following an argument between the female inmates and their Naike over food issue. The agitating inmates have accused their Naike of treating them improperly and indulging in financial irregularities.

A view of Banke District Prison, in Nepalgunj, on Friday, Decemnber 20, 2019. Photo: THT

“She treats us very badly, especially the sick ones. She doesn’t let us eat the food of our choice, and what’s worse she is involved in financial irregularities,” said Prerana Chand, an agitating female inmate. The agitators have warned that they won’t stop the agitation until their Naike is transferred.

“We don’t have the provision of preparing food separately for detainees, so everyone has to eat the same food cooked in the mess. Agitating inmates seem to have expressed their dissatisfaction over this issue,” Acting Chief Poudel said. “Though we wanted to resolve the issue through talks that couldn’t happen as the agitating women padlocked the block from inside, making themselves unreachable,” he added.

It is important to note that the previous jailer and male Naike of the prison had been transferred in the wake of the protest held by male inmates at the prison in November this year. “It seems that they have taken a leaf from the male inmates’ book,” Poudel said.

The female prison block now has a total of 51 persons, including an infant, and security has been beefed up following the agitation. District Police Office Banke DSP Shiva Bahadur Singh said additional security personnel were assigned at the block.