Kathmandu, April 17

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which started receiving complaints from victims of rights violation from today, received 125 complaints on the first day.

The TRC will continue receiving complaints for 60 days regarding incidents of human rights violation that took place during the decade-long Maoist insurgency.

According to TRC Secretary Narendra Man Shrestha, the transitional mechanism received 16 complaints in the eastern region, 50 complaints in the central region (with 26 complaints being lodged at the TRC office itself), 36 in the mid-western region, 11 in western region and 12 in the far-western region.

Shrestha said the TRC expected at least 40,000 complaints of rights violation within the three months’ time.

TRC Chair Surya Kiran Gurung said some victims came with their stories requesting TRC employees to prepare written complaints on their behalf. He said the TRC might have to recruit extra staff to prepare complaints on behalf of victims.

According to Gurung, the TRC has already written to the government urging it to make necessary amendments in the TRC laws and other laws as per the court’s verdict. He said the TRC expected the government to do the needful before the 60-day period (for receiving complaints) ended.

He said if the government did not amend the relevant laws as per its request, then that could affect investigation of complaints of rights violation. According to Gurung, amendments were needed in the TRC laws to define serious crimes and offences of serious nature.

Gurng also said the existing legal provision of the Muluki Ain (General Code) had fixed 35 days statute of limitation for filing rape cases and if that provision is applied, then none of the rape victims could come forward to seek justice.

Gurung said physical or mental torture needed to be criminalised to enable people who might have suffered these kinds of torture during conflicts, to give them justice.

TRC member Shree Krishna Subedi said the transitional mechanism would start preliminary investigation of the complaints from mid-June and also develop electronic file for each complaint describing the nature of investigation those complaints might demand.

He said the preliminary investigation would determine whether

or not those incidents happened during the Maoist insurgency and whether or not those cases fell under the jurisdiction of TRC.

Subedi said if the complainants only sought reparation, then the TRC would just recommend the same without further investigation. He said, victims’ who lost their property during conflict might ask only for reparations.

Subedi said complicated cases where victims wanted perpetrators identified, might require the TRC to launch thorough probe.

He, however, said TRC might not be able to launch comprehensive investigation in all cases due to lack of time, fund and human resources.