Statement of Satyaraj Joshi, the then jailer of Nakkhu Prison: I had no prior knowledge of the contents of the letter. Since the signature was made under duress and terror, it has no legal status.
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The then jailer of Nakkhu Prison, Satyaraj Joshi, has said that the mob threatened and forced him to sign a letter to release Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) President Ravi Lamichhane.
In his statement to the Commission of Inquiry on the incidents of Bhadra 23 and 24, the then jailer Joshi said that inflammatory material was posted on social media targeting the prison since the morning of Bhadra 24. 'The situation was normal on Bhadra 23. After inflammatory material started appearing on social media since the morning of Bhadra 24 and unauthorized surveillance around the prison began to increase, I called an emergency security meeting after informing the Chief District Officer, Ministry of Home Affairs, Peace and Security Division and Prison Management Department. In the meeting, crowd control strategies, alternative exit plans and overall security preparations were discussed,' he said.
Joshi stated that at around 13:40 on Bhadra 24, thousands of protesters started attacking the main gate of the prison by throwing stones and vandalizing it with slogans like 'Leave Ravi Lamichhane'. 'After seeing that the situation of the crowd was getting out of control, I again made a written and verbal request to the Chief District Officer and the Ministry of Home Affairs to mobilize the army, but additional security forces could not be made available immediately.' At around 13:50, the crowd broke the main gate and forcibly entered the prison and took control of it,' he said.
Joshi also informed the commission that there were 1,281 prisoners in the prison at that time. "After the mob started attacking Ravi Lamichhane, keeping in mind the safety of other prisoners, I decided to temporarily shift him to the hospital for mentally disabled prisoners inside the prison. He asked for a microphone saying that he would try to explain to the mob," he said in the statement. "Then the security personnel sent him to the mob, but the mob took him out of the prison."
He also said that he immediately informed the Home Ministry and the Chief District Officer about the incident . After Lamichhane was taken out, the mob became more agitated and the prison administration's archive and police building were set on fire, and both the police and the Armed Police Force were forced to retreat, said the then jailer Joshi in his statement. 'I and the administrative staff were trying to save our lives by hiding inside the hospital building for prisoners with psychosocial disabilities. During that time, the mob threatened me severely and forced me to sign an unknown letter under fear of life and death. I had no prior knowledge of the contents of the letter . Since the signing was done under coercion and terror, it has no legal status,' he said.
Joshi's statement also mentions that the mob then set fire to and vandalized the prisoner blocks and took out all 1,280 prisoners. 'The incident A few days later, 749 prisoners returned to the prison, 70 were transferred to other prisons, and 459 are still at large. The only human casualties on that day were some police officers who suffered minor injuries, Joshi said in a statement. He also claims that the prison was spared a major massacre because of the high level of restraint, discretion, and leadership displayed by the security personnel working in the prison. He said, "In my view, the incident of Bhadra 24 was not an administrative negligence, but a crisis situation that was out of control."
