Rautahat, July 1

Sarlahi District Administration Office organised an all-party meeting to discuss the death of Kewal Mahato, 27 of Ishworpur Rural Municipality, Sarlahi, today.

The meeting condemned the incident, and decided to take action against the guilty, provide compensation to the victim’s family, declare Mahato a martyr, provide free education to the deceased’s children and offer job to his family members, among others.

Chief District Officer Krishna Bahadur Raut said the District Administration Office had informed the home ministry about the decision.

Kewal Mahato, 27, of Gaurishankar village in Ishworpur, Sarlahi was killed when police personnel opened fire after protesters pelted stones at the police while the latter were making efforts to remove a road obstruction.

The locals had obstructed the East-West Highway yesterday keeping the body of a minor boy Amil Ray Yadav, 12, who had died after drowning in a ditch. The locals along with police personnel were hurt in the incident.

Of the 25 persons injured, protesters are being treated in Janakpur while two police personnel have been sent to a hospital in Kathmandu for treatment.

Meanwhile, issuing a press statement, Province 2 Minister of Internal Affairs and Law Gyanendra Yadav deplored the incident at the Banke forest of Sarlahi and wished for speedy recovery of injured police personnel and protesters.

The ministry has formed a three-member probe committee to investigate the incident.

The committee headed by Deputy Secretary Arun Kumar Jha has Officers Kishori Sharan Yadav and legal eagle Surendra Mahato as its members.