KATHMANDU: A team from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) visited Bhairahawa Prison to meet with Rabi Lamichhane, chair of the Rastriya Swatantra Party, who is currently in custody on charges of embezzlement involving crores of rupees from a cooperative.
The visit comes amid recent controversial reports in the media about Lamichhane’s condition in custody.
The NHRC delegation included member Lily Thapa, Lumbini Province Chief Hari Gyawali, and Rima Bisis, representative of the Informal Sector Service Center (INSEC). However, security personnel prevented journalists from accompanying the team inside and stopped them outside the prison premises.
Lamichhane is currently held alone in Block No. 4 of the prison. There have been allegations that he has been deprived of basic facilities and isolated in a dilapidated block with restricted movement outside his cell.
The prison administration stated that Lamichhane has been placed in a separate block for security reasons and is provided with the same facilities as other inmates.
On August 8, the Rupandehi Prison Office had denied the accuracy of media reports about Lamichhane’s condition.
According to a statement issued by Prison Administrator Suresh Bhandari, Lamichhane, who has been in custody for over four months related to the cooperative fraud case, has been accommodated in a separate room for security purposes.
The prison authorities also said that meetings and communication facilities are provided to Lamichhane according to his wishes. They further claimed that some photos circulating in recent media reports were not taken inside the prison and that the descriptions of his conditions were contrary to reality.
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