Sankhuwasabha prison: Families refuse to accept bodies of deceased inmates

KATHMANDU, Aug 10: The families of two inmates who died in the district prison Sankhuwasabha have refused to accept their bodies. 

Binod Tolangi, 19, of Madi Municipality-5 in Sankhuwasabha, and Aakash Balami, 28, of Kakani Rural Municipality-7 in Nuwakot died on Wednesday morning in the course of treatment at the district hospital, claimed Deputy Superintendent of Police Birendra Godar. However, the bereaved families claimed that the two were beaten to death.   

On a wee hour recently, the police caught the deceased inmates while running away after breaking out of prison, and were later handed to the prison administration, he said. The police severely beat up the deceased, according to other prisoners and local people who witnessed the incident. 

The families and relatives of the deceased had demonstrated and chanted slogans in front of the prison in protest. They have demanded action against those involved in the beating. In view of security in the prison, nine prisoners including the leader of the inmates were taken to the district police office following the death of the prisoners, said Jailor Rajendra Ghimire. Deceased Tolangi was serving a term in a rape case and Balami for burglary. 

Meanwhile, a three-member committee has been formed to investigate the incident. The committee is led by Chief District Officer Mohan Mani Ghimire, with Inspector Saroj Khanal and Tarini Ghimire of the district administration office as its members. 

Families of the deceased call for a fair investigation 

Meanwhile, the family members and relatives of the two inmates have called for an impartial investigation into their 'suspicious' death. They have demanded that the authorities bring out the facts and truth behind the incident of murder inside the prison and take stern action against the culprits.

They suspected that the incident was suspicious and alleged that police were also involved in the killing. 

Bhima Ramtel, the elder sister of Tolangi, accused the police administration of sitting idly by when individuals inside the security cordon were lynched to death. She said they were not going to receive the bodies until the truth behind the death was brought out. 

She expressed her suspicion over the police's reluctance to make the CCTV camera footage public.