• SUJITA BHANDARI DEATH INVESTIGATION
CHITWAN, JULY 8
Police lamented that the activities carried out by people in the name of activism had impeded ongoing investigation into the death of Sujita Bhandari of Chitwan's Rapti Municipality. Chitwan District Police Office conveyed this concern at a press conference in Bharatpur of Chitwan, on Thursday. "People who call themselves activists come here.
They live in some villages at night and team up with the locals there and obstruct police investigation," said DPO Chief SP Om Prakash Adhikari, at the press conference.
Police lamented that the activities carried out by people in the name of activism have impeded ongoing investigation into the death of Sujita Bhandari of Chitwan's Rapti Municipality. Chitwan District Police Office conveyed this concerns at a press conference in Bharatpur of Chitwan, today.
"People who call themselves activists come here.
They live in some villages at night and team up with the locals there and obstruct police investigation," said DPO Chief SP Om Prakash Adhikari, at the press conference.
"We are facing difficulties in investigation because of outsiders as personnel who should be investigating the case have to be deployed for curfew management now," Adhikari said.
"Investigation into the case has been affected from the very beginning, ever since the victim's body was found. Though the deceased's kin were ready to allow the investigation, people from outside who call themselves activists have created disturbances," said the police officer.
According to the police chief, so far police have interrogated more than 100 people in the course of investigation.
"Interrogation of suspects is continuing. The investigation so far has revealed something, and further investigation is under way," he said.
Further, Adhikari said more would be learnt about the death of the girl once the viscera test report was out.
"Post-mortem of her body has finished. More will be learnt about the death once the viscera test report comes from Khumaltar of Lalitpur," he said.
The police chief also urged Sujita's kin and locals not to be taken in by baseless rumours.
"Don't be taken in by rumours that are affecting police investigation. Such acts will only distract the probe," he said, urging that people only believe in reliable information published by reliable media.
"So far even the police aren't certain about whether it's a murder or suicide. A team with a sniffer dog from Kathmandu is also involved in the investigation. Now, interrogation of locals and the deceased's kin is under way," Adhikari said.
In the wake of almost daily demonstrations on the highway of Rapti Municipality, the local administration has issued curfew orders along the highway and nearby areas from Tuesday. Bhandari, who had gone missing since June 25, was found dead in a community forest near her home on July 4.
A version of this article appears in the print on July 9 2021, of The Himalayan Times.
