As the government is facing criticism from all sectors for detaining people in army barracks, the government has decided to construct detention centres in all the five development regions as per the demand of the Royal Nepalese Army (RNA), a report said on Wednesday.

The Kantipur daily quoted secretary at the secretariat of the Council of Ministers Diwakar Pant as saying that in accordance to the proposal brought forward by the Army, detention centres would be made in all the five development regions.

He said, “The home ministry has already started preparation to start the construction in Purbanchal development region within a few months.”

Presently detention centre in Sundarijal and rehabilitation centre in Dhakaltaar in Tanahu is in operation.

The paper also quoted Army spokesperson Brigadier General Deepak Gurung as saying, “Keeping the detainees in the barracks is our compulsion. We don’t have any space in the barracks to keep the detainees.”

He said that at the time when there are problems in adjusting the army men in the barracks the burden of detainees has been creating further problems.

National Human Rights Commission, International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC), Amnesty International, representatives of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and others have been pressurising not to keep detainees in the barracks.

Saying that the detainees should not be kept in the barracks and proper facilities should be made for them, ICRC has cancelled monitoring the detainees in the barracks. The letter sent by the army through the defence ministry has been sent to Human Rights Promotion and Monitoring Centre.

Spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence Bhupendra Paudel said, “The letter has been sent there as the procedure has to be in coordination of defence, home and law ministry. The only problem is the lack of resources.

The team of the UN that came to see the condition of torture in the country has mentioned in its report that planned and systematic torture is taking place in the barracks.