Kathmandu, November 1:

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) today called on the government to punish those who abducted Bara-based journalist Birendra Shah.

Stating that four Maoists activists had abducted Shah, NHRC chairman Kedar Nath Upadhyaya called on the government to prosecute them .

He also made public a spot investigation report about the abduction, which states that Maoist cadres Kundan Faujdar, Ram Ekwal Shahani, Lal Bahadur Chaudhary and Hareram Patel abducted Shah after he published a news about Maoists’ involvement in timber smuggling.

The NHRC also urged the government to ensure the security of the human rights defenders and journalists, including their free movement, and to guarantee the freedom of the press. It also called on the Maoists to respect the rule of law, human rights, and press freedom.

The NHRC said that the Maoists’ involvement in such illegal activities proved that they have violated the peace accord they had signed with the government. The report also said a body of an unidentified person was found in a jungle near Seti Khola, Amlekhgunj, and it has been sent for a DNA test to find out whether it was Shah’s body.

“Security force told us that a DNA test was needed after the Shah’s family rejected to take the body,” Yagya Adhikary, NHRC official, who had inspected the spot, said.