Kathmandu, April 24

The National Human Rights Commission has urged the government to identify and bring to book those behind the April 22 blast at the private residence of Chief Election Commissioner Ayodhi Prasad Yadav.

An unidentified group had detonated an Improvised Explosive Device at his house in Hattiban, Lalitpur, causing damage to the structure. According to the rights watchdog,

National Human Rights Commission Chairperson Anup Raj Sharma today visited the incident site and found that the explosion had also caused damage to adjacent houses.

“On the basis of damage assessment of the house of CEC Yadav and adjacent structures, the bomb seems to have been powerful. We are concerned as the government has taken the incident lightly,” read a press statement issued by the National Human Rights Commission.

The rights watchdog urged the government and media to be more serious about such inhuman and violent acts. “Our monitoring report shows that the government has yet to identify and arrest the perpetrators of the bombing. Therefore, we urge the government to book the guilty and provide reasonable compensation to the concerned persons, including CEC Yadav, who suffered the damage, while protecting the citizen’s right to live in a free and fearless environment,” added the release. No one has claimed responsibility for the blast.

Meanwhile, Minister for Home Affairs Ram Bahadur Thapa today said the government was serious about the security of office-bearers of Election Commission and assured them of appropriate security arrangements.

Minister Thapa reached the house of Chief Election Commissioner Ayodhi Prasad Yadav and told him that the government would not compromise on the security of Election Commission office-bearers and the general public. Thapa said the government would book the culprits, who detonated a bomb in Yadav’s house.

Home Secretary Prem Kumar Rai and Inspector General of Police Sarbendra Khanal also accompanied Thapa.