PHIDIM, July 10

Locals injured in the beating by a group of Armed Police Force personnel have registered a torture case against the APF at Panchthar District Court.

After District Police Office, Panchthar, refused to file a case against APF, the victims moved the court on Friday.

Niroj Lawati, Shambhu Lawati, Sarita Yonghang and Sanchmaya Angdembe, who have accused the APF of beating them up, registered the case.

They have named the Ministry of Home Affairs, Inspector Desh Bikram Thapa of Himshikhar Gulma, Phidim, APF Head Constable Yam Bahadur Shrestha and Constables Dhruba Tamang and Dhruba Pyakurel as defendants.

Ten days ago, Lawati and his group had passed obscene comments at Constable Pyakurel at Eklesal in Phidim under the influence of alcohol.

A dispute flared up and Constable Pyakurel had called his colleagues and thrashed Lawati’s group. Later, they were taken to the APF camp where the constable is said to have beaten them black and blue.

Niroj said he and his friends were forced to knock the court’s door after the police refused to register the case.

The injured were treated at District Hospital for a week.

Shambhu, who had his right hand fractured, has been referred to another hospital outside the district after he could not be treated at district hospital. APF DSP Roshan Shrestha said that the incident took place after the local youths passed obscene comments at APF constables.

“Both the parties are accountable for the situation. The locals shouldn’t have passed such comments at the constables and our personnel should not have thrashed them,” said DSP Shrestha.

He pledged to investigate the personnel involved in the incident. Inspector Desh Bikram Thapa is said to be in-charge of the concerned barracks when the incident took place, as DSP Shrestha was out of the district.

Inspector Thapa, however, has denied his involvement in the incident.