Inmates of the Taplejung District Prison are facing various problems due to a lack of space. The prison, with the capacity to hold 25 inmates at a time, currently houses 128 inmates, five times more than its holding capacity.

Dhaniram Singh, a jailer at the prison, said the district prison is compelled to send inmates to other prisons because of the overcrowding.

“We have no other alternative but to send our inmates to other district prisons,” Singh said. “Plans are being made to send women inmates to the neighbouring Ilam and Panchthar district prisons. We have already consulted with the higher authorities on the issue.”

According to the prison administration, overcrowding of inmates has made life difficult for everyone. Dhurba Kumar Deban, Naike—a leader who is a part of internal administration—in the district prison, said that three to four inmates have been forced to sleep in one bed.

“There is no space here. We don’t even have enough space to sleep in,” said Deban.

Chandra Jeet Chongbang, an inmate at the district prison, said they have to queue up for hours to use the toilet.

The prison has only three toilets with no water supply.

Devraj Gurung, a rights activist, said they have suggested the administration to upgrade the prison during a recent inspection.

“The concerned authorities must pay immediate attention to solve this issue,” Gurung said.