Human rights activists on May 20 urged the Government to sign the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture (OPCAT) to enable an independent body to effectively monitor rights compliance in jails and detention centres across the country, reports The Himalayan Times. This, they say, will deter law enforcement officers from torturing detainees and inmates. Article 1 of OPCAT provisions regular visits by independent international and national bodies to jails and detention centres to prevent torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Signing OPCAT will place a moral obligation on the Government to form an independent mechanism to monitor rights compliance in jails and detention centres across the country.