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Chaurjahari Incident: Govt-formed probe committee begins investigation

Chaurjahari Incident: Govt-formed probe committee begins investigation

By Dinesh Kumar Shrestha

This undated image shows the premises of the Ministry of Home Affairs in Singha Durbar, Kathmandu. Photo: Google maps image

JAJARKOT: A five-member high level investigation committee formed by Home Ministry to probe the Chaurjahari incident has begun its investigation from today. The incident occurred when Navaraj BK along with his 18 friends reached Sothi in West Rukum district from Bheri Municipality in Jajarkot to bring his girlfriend home, on Saturday. Upon reaching the girl's hometown, the villagers attacked and chased the youths to a point of forcing them to jump into Bheri river as the only means of escape. In the incident, five were killed, scores were injured and one of them is still reported missing in the river. After arriving from Kathmandu, the team recorded statements of the victims' families and studied the body of  Sandeep BK, one of the victims who was killed in the incident, kept at the Health Services Office in the area, said Janakraj Panta, Chief District Officer (CDO) of Jajarkot. Parbati BK, a rights activist said, 'Dalit rights activists have handed over a five-point memorandum to the probe committee demanding fair investigation of the incident.' Jitendra Basnet, joint-secretary at the Ministry of Home Affairs, who is also the coordinator of the committee, said that the team will work as per the government-set mandate to conduct a fair investigation into the case and submit its report within the stipulated time-frame. SSP Janak Bhattarai, deputy investigation director of National Investigation Department Om Bahadur Khadka, and under-secretaries at Home Ministry Bishista Ghimire and Madhav Dhakal are members of the committee. READ ALSO: