Inmates of high-security Nakkhu jail in Lalitpur jail have freed jailer, Ram Prasad Bhattarai, on Wedensday afternoon after taking him into custody for nearly thirty hours.

The inmates agreed to free him after negotiations with Home Secretary Umesh Mainali.

According to Himal Sharma, a leader of the Maoist-affiliated ANNFSU (Revolutionary), Bhattarai was freed after Secretary Mainali expressed assurances on behalf of the government that all Maoist-affiliated prisoners will be set free by June 11, 2006 and a national debate will be conducted on the issue of declaring amnesty to all the inmates across the country.

The inmates at Nakkhu had taken Jailer Bhattarai into their custody on Tuesday to press for their demands including unconditional release of all the inmates in the country.