HLPC leaders visit couple; they get an earful

KATHMANDU, AUG 29 -
Parents of Krishna Prasad Adhikari, who was killed by alleged Maoists during the insurgency in 2004, on Wednesday rejected requests made by the High-level Political Committee (HLPC) and the government to end their fast-unto-death .

Nanda Prasad and Ganga Maya of Gorkha district have been staging the fast for more than a month, demanding their son’s killers be brought to book.

Two former Prime Ministers, Jhala Nath Khanal and Madhav Kumar Nepal, along with Nepali Congress President Sushil Koirala and CPN-UML leader Raghuji Panta, visited Bir Hospital on behalf of the HLPC and met the Adhikari couple at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

Separately, a government team including Home and Foreign Minister Madhav Ghimire and Health Minister Vidhadhar Mallik also visited the hospital and requested the couple to end the fast.

The couple, however, told the visiting teams that they don’t want to live to see the culprits walking scott-free.

“If you can, please arrest the culprits and present them before us and then request us to end the fast,” UML leader Panta quoted Nanda Prasad as telling the leaders.

The Adhikari couple accused the government of repeatedly breaching their trust by telling them that the investigation process has begun and that the culprits will be arrested soon.

“Such lip service and fake commitments will not work. We will not budge an inch until the culprits are arrested,” they told the leaders.

Meanwhile, a group of conflict victims demonstrated in front of the hospital, demanding justice for the Adhikari couple and other conflict-era victims.

Nine organisations working for victims of the Maoist insurgency went to President Ram Baran Yadav and requested him to save the Adhikari couple’s lives. They also urged the head of state to instruct government agencies to expedite the investigation process.

In a letter, the organisations urged the National Human Rights Commission to play an active role in monitoring the human rights situation in the country and look into the case of the Adhikari couple.

Arrests soon: Chitwan SP

CHITWAN: Investigators are closing in on suspects behind the 2004 murder of Krishna Prasad Adhikari. It is only a matter of time before they are arrested, Superintendent of Police (SP) Pradhyuman Kumar Karki of the Chitwan District Police Office said on Wednesday. He said investigators are trying to gather evidence to corroborate the involvement of the accused Maoist cadres in the incident.

Meanwhile, the district chapter of the UCPN (Maoist) has demanded that the police abort investigations into the case. In a statement, the party said the ongoing probe was an outright violation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. SP Karki, however, said pressure from the UCPN (Maoist) will not affect the investigations. Adhikari, 19, from Fujel-7 of Gorkha district was allegedly abducted and murdered by former Maoist insurgents in June 2004.

Labels: Highlight, News