Kavre, February 14

Thirteen years have passed since Maina Sunar,15,  of Kharelthok VDC, Kavre, was killed by the Nepali Army during the Maoist insurgency. Devi, Maina’s mother, however, has not lost hope of getting justice. She has been fighting to book the guilty in the incident. “I am not going to rest till I get justice. I will fight till my last breath,” Devi said.

Maina, a ninth grader at Bhagawati Secondary School was arrested and tortured to death by the army during the insurgency.

The Nepali Army had arrested Maina on February 17, 2004 on the charge of being a Maoist cadre. She was tormented to death at Birendra Sainik Peace Training Centre, Panchkhal. In the course of investigation, Nepal Police had excavated Maina’s remains from the premises of the training centre on 23 March,  2007.  After DNA test in India, the remains have been kept at TU Teaching Hospital, Maharajgunj, Kathmandu.

“I will not perform the last rites of my daughter until the guilty are booked,” Devi said. She said she felt that her daughter was still taking class at the school.

The deceased’s mother Devi had registered a charge sheet against four army officers at the district court through the Office of the District Attorney. Devi had filed a murder case against Colonel Babi Khatri and captains Sunil Prasad Adhikary, Amit Pun and Niranjan Basnet. She had attached as many as 133 evidences related to the case.

A group of 15 security personnel had arrested Maina while she was on her way to school. At the training centre, she was electrocuted and her body was buried in the forest.

Kavre District Court put the case on hold after the army officials involved in the crime did not appear before the court despite repeated summons. The case was reopened on January 25, 2016. The case has not proceeded as the defendants have not appeared before the court. The defendants are in the list of fugitives in the court report.

Court of inquiry Board at the Nepali Army had concluded that the army officers had tortured Maina to death.

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