Nepal, July 18 -- Tension gripped the District Prison in Rajbiraj, Saptari, on Saturday after five inmates allegedly poured kerosene over themselves and attempted self-immolation, forcing police to retreat during an operation to contain a protest inside the facility.

The inmates have been protesting for the past three days, demanding the transfer of Jailer Rupak Mandal. They accused him of extorting money from prisoners in exchange for appointing ward representatives and alleged that Ram Rijhan, the representative of the prison's Block B, had discriminated against inmates.

Police entered the prison on Saturday morning to restore order, but the situation escalated after officers allegedly used force to disperse the protesters. In respons...