Kathmandu, August 4

Advocacy Forum has published its preliminary report on alleged encounter killing of Kumar Paudel, Sarlahi In-charge of Netra Bikram Chand-led Communist Party of Nepal.

Advocacy Forum in its report said there were sufficient reasons to believe that Paudel was killed by security personnel after taking him under their control.

AF said security personnel had been looking for Paudel ever since the government outlawed Chand-led outfit. AF said evidence gathered from field indicated that Paudel was killed by security personnel after they took him under their control.

AF said members of Paudel’s family and locals claimed that Paudel was killed by the security personnel after they took him under their control.  Police have, however, claimed that Paudel was killed in an encounter.

AF said people’s movement around the incident site was prohibited on the day Paudel was killed. It also said local people did not hear sounds of crossfire as claimed by the police. AF demanded that the government form a high level judicial probe committee to investigate ‘encounter killing’ of Paudel. It also urged the National Human Rights Commission to make its report on Paudel’s killing public.