Kathmandu, August 2

A person died after one of the inmates attacked him with a concrete block in Nakkhu Jail, Lalitpur, today.

The deceased has been identified as Purna Bahadur Raji, 34, of Basgadhi-7, Bardiya. Senior Superintendent of Police Shyam Lal Gyawali, who is also spokesperson for Metropolitan Police Office, told THT that Pawan Kumar Mahato, 45, of Sarlahi had hit Raji on the head with a concrete block used for paving ground. Both of them had been doing time in murder case.

“They were having a friendly chat after taking bath in the afternoon and were always in good terms. We have launched an investigation to know the reason behind the fight,” he said, adding that it was not a prison riot. Investigators said both the jailbirds looked normal, but were under medication for depression. It has been learnt that the situation took ugly turn after Raji allegedly complained Mahato of his poor sanitation of the bathroom.

Police had rushed Raji to Bir Hospital following the attack and Raji succumbed to his injuries in the course of treatment. Metropolitan Police Range, Lalitpur, has taken Mahato into custody to proceed with another murder charge.

Earlier, Abhishek Raj Singh, 40, a serial killer, who is serving a life sentence in Nakkhu Jail for three counts of murder and an attempted murder, had poisoned his jailmate Bhakta Bahadur Sunar, 32, of Bardiya to death in May last year.

Minister of Home Affairs Ram Bahadur Thapa on July 23 had claimed the jailbirds or inmates doing time in prisons were under tight surveillance of security personnel to foil any attempts to orchestrate crimes from behind bars.

One-year report card released by Minister Thapa also claimed to have special security arrangements in prisons across the country. “Adequate number of closed-circuit televisions have been installed in prisons for enhanced surveillance for prevention of jailbreak and other crimes inside jails,” it read.

In October last year, a British inmate had escaped from Nakkhu Jail. The British national Mukadur Hussain, who was doing time on charge of overstay, was nabbed later. The MoHA said installation of high resolution CCTV cameras would ensure transparency and safety of inmates and prisoners.