NHRC condemns govt decision

Kathmandu, May 19

The National Human Rights Commission today issued a press release taking strong exception to the government’s decision to withdraw charges against cadres of agitating forces.

The NHRC said its serious attention was drawn to government’s decision regarding various incidents, including August 24 incident of Kailali.

“Giving immunity to the guilty of those who were responsible for killing eight security personnel and one child and vandalism and arson attack against ordinary citizens’ houses and property without probing and investigating these incidents is tantamount to promoting impunity,” the rights body said in its release.

The NHRC said the government, which was supposed to implement its recommendation made after an investigation, was itself a condemnable act. “Citizens will lose faith in the state if all criminal acts are treated as political act,” the NHRC stated in its release.

“The commission is clear that the aim of politics should be to ensure human welfare and human rights but not to protect criminal acts, “the rights body said, “The commission is of the view that if the government which is supposed to protect the life and property of ordinary citizens and boost the morale of the security personnel, itself promotes crime and criminal tendency, then such things would create hurdle in the protection and promotion of human rights,” the NHRC statement added.

The rights body also urged the government to probe the incidents of rights violations and book the culprits. The NHRC also called on the government to provide relief and compensation to the victims’ families.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s Secretariat issued a press release clarifying that the government would not withdraw cases of those responsible for heinous crimes, including that of Tikapur incident.

The PM’s secretariat also stated that yesterday’s Cabinet meeting instructed the Ministry of Home Affairs to initiate the process after consulting the Ministry of Law to withdraw false cases slapped against individuals not involved in criminal incidents, including that of Kailali, but were indicted on the mere basis of prejudice and assumption. The PM’s secretariat also said that false cases would be withdrawn as per the law. Yesterday’s meeting of the Cabinet had decided to treat Tharuhat and Madhes movement as a political movement.