KATHMANDU: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has said that its monitoring found the central jail housing more prisoners than its capacity.

In a press note on Monday, NHRC Secretary Bed Prasad Bhattarai stated a total of 3,164 jailbirds were facing difficulties to maintain social distancing against its capacity to accommodate only 1,250 prisoners. He also said that the jailbirds are facing hardships in terms of drinking water supplies, toilet and hygiene.

The NHRC also monitored the human rights condition of the prisoners and jailbirds in the wake of coronavirus infection.

NHRC Member Sudip Pathak and other officials inspected the situation of some custody centers in Kathmandu and Lalitpur districts and the central jail.

The NHRC team also consulted with the Director-General of Department of Prison Management and chief of the central jail regarding the precaution measures taken at the jails and custody centers against coronavirus infection among the jailbirds.