Killers of Nepal journalist booked

IANS/Kathmandu

Amid protests against the government’s apathy to bring the alleged culprits to the book, the headline-making murder case of a journalist during insurgency in 2004 has been ultimately filed at a district court of Nepal.

The local attorney office in mid-west district of Dailekh on Monday filed a criminal case against nine individuals alleged to be involved in the murder of journalist Dekendra Thapa, reports said yesterday.

The nine individuals were affiliated with the ruling UCPN-Maoist, Xinhua reported.

“Based on an investigation report of the district police office, we filed a criminal case against the nine,” district attorney Dambar Kafle was quoted as saying.

“All evidence including DNA test of the journalist’s exhumed skeleton have been submitted,” said Binod Sharma, an investigation officer.

Among the nine defendants, five were arrested and produced at the court, while the remaining four are at large.

For the past few weeks, the government had been under pressure as the potential murderers of journalist Thapa admitted through newspaper interviews that they had buried him alive after physically torturing and beating him.

The district police and local attorney office started fresh investigation into the matter and even the place where Thapa was buried was unearthed following tips from the arrested ones.

Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai had to appear in-person at the Supreme Court and furnish written explanation on Monday, for he was accused of a contempt of court charge and the misuse of power to conceal the case.