13,000 prisoners escape from jails in Nepal amid violent protests, clashes

Along with the Supreme Court, the Attorney General’s office and 17 lower courts in different parts of the country had also been destroyed, an official said.

“I am surprised that courts that had pending cases against a particular leader of a national party had been targeted,” a functionary of the Supreme Court said, adding it has turned decades-old records into ashes.

Protesters celebrate at the Singha Durbar, the seat of Nepal’s government’s various ministries and offices, after burning it down during a protest against a social media ban and corruption in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

The massive anti-government demonstrations across Nepal that forced Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli to resign on Tuesday led to a serious law and order situation across districts, prompting the Nepal Army on Wednesday to impose nationwide restrictive orders followed by a curfew.

Inmates took advantage of the protests and tried to escape from jails, resulting in clashes across several prison facilities since Tuesday. “Five juvenile inmates died in a clash with security personnel at the Naubasta Correctional Home in Naubasta Regional Jail located in Baijnath Rural Municipality-3 of Banke on Tuesday night,” The Rising Nepal newspaper said.

Protesters throng Singha Durbar, the seat of Nepal’s government’s various ministries and offices during a protest against social media ban and corruption in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

The five juvenile inmates were killed and four were seriously injured when police opened fire during a clash that broke out when inmates tried to take over the weapons of security personnel of the correctional home, the newspaper said, quoting the Naubasta Juvenile Correctional Home office.

According to authorities, 149 of the 585 inmates from the prison and 76 of the 176 detainees from the juvenile home escaped during the incident.

A protester waves a national flag as vehicles burn during a protest against a social media ban and corruption in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

MyRepublica newspaper reported that around 7,000 inmates across the country have escaped from various prisons.

“The prisoners threatened security personnel while breaking out. With convicts serving sentences for various crimes now at large, fear has gripped the public,” it said.