Kathmandu, December 17

Three months after a nine-member probe committee was formed under Additional Inspector General of Nepal Police Dhiru Basnyat to probe how police had botched up investigation of the rape and murder of 13-year-old Nirmala Panta, a report was submitted to the Inspector General of Police Sarbendra Khanal today.

According to Superintendent of Police Ram Dutta Joshi, the 700-page report includes the weakness of the investigation, suggestions and action that needs to be taken against police officers who have botched up the investigation of Panta’s rape and murder.

Similarly, talking to THT over phone, IGP Khanal said that necessary action would be taken against police officers involved in ruining the investigation on this case. “The report has been submitted by AIG Dhiru Basnyet, just today, so we haven’t studied it yet,” Khanal said, adding that soon after studying the report ‘we will take action against officers, as per the recommendation.’

The government had formed a nine-member committee under AIG Basnyet to investigate the role of police officers involved in the probe of the rape and murder of 13-years-old Panta and the committee had been mandated to investigate and submit its report without fixing a deadline.

Nirmala Panta, a resident of Bhimdutta Municipality of Kanchanpur District, was raped and murdered on July 26. Her body was found in a sugarcane field. Nepal Police are yet to arrest the culprit(s).