Panel directs govt to probe Poudel’s killing
Kathmandu, June 24
The parliamentary State Affairs and Good Governance Committee today directed the government to investigate the killing of Kumar Poudel, a senior member of a banned outfit, after lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties suspected Poudel could have become a victim of extra-judicial killing.
The parliamentary panel has given a seven-day deadline to the government to submit its report.
Poudel, who was Sarlahi district in-charge of the Communist Party of Nepal led by Netra Bikram Chand, was shot dead by police in Lalbandi Municipality on June 20.
Poudel was killed in crossfire between cadres of the Chand-led CPN and police, Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa told the parliamentary committee. Four cadres of the CPN, riding two motorcycles, had fired at police, who were chasing them. In retaliation, CPN district in-charge Poudel was shot dead on the spot while three others fled the scene, said Minister Thapa, who was summoned by the committee today to explain Poudel’s killing.
But lawmakers of the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP), the main opposition Nepali Congress and Samajwadi Party-Nepal were not convinced by the minister’s statement. They said Poudel might have become a ‘victim of police encounter killing’.
“Poudel had injury marks on face and his hands and legs were broken. I was also told he was shot in the back, head and arm. How can this happen in a crossfire?” questioned Mina Pandey, a Nepali Congress lawmaker from Sarlahi. Other lawmakers also said Poudel might have been tortured before he was killed.
“This calls for a thorough investigation,” ruling NCP lawmaker and former home minister Janardan Sharma said, adding, “Incidents like these tarnish the government’s image. The government must follow the constitution and laws.”
The government banned activities of the CPN in March after it planted a bomb in front of Ncell headquarters in Nakhu, killing one, and attacked base transceiver stations of the private telecom company at multiple places.
The violence propagated by the outfit does not provide leeway to the government to engage in extra-judicial killings, said NCP lawmaker Tirtha Gautam.
“The country does not need another insurgency,” said Gautam, whose husband was killed during the Maoist insurgency.
The only solution to this problem, according to Samajwadi Party-Nepal lawmaker Ram Sahay Prasad Yadav, is to create an environment to hold talks with the CPN. NCP MP Sharma also said the government should bring the outfit to the negotiating table.
“The government had reached out to the outfit to hold talks but they didn’t want to talk to us,” Home Minister Thapa said, adding, “We have again started reaching out to them.” He also said a thorough investigation would be conducted into Poudel’s killing. IGP Sarbendra Khanal was also present in today’s parliamentary committee meeting.
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