Kavre, June 28:

The Kavre district police office today refused to register a first information report (FIR) accusing the Maoists of murdering 48-year-old Arjun Lama, of Chhatre VDC-5.

A central member of the Rastriya Ekta Parishad, Lama was allegedly abducted by Bhola Aryal, area commander of the CPN (Maoist), and Maoist cadres Shyam Gautam and Yadav Poudel at 4 pm on April 29, 20005, the family said in the FIR, adding that the abductee was murdered a few days later.

However, the Maoists have maintained that Lama was killed in Ghartichhap clash with security personnel, which occurred on June 11, 2005. “Arjun Lama was killed in the Ghartichhap clash,” the then district secretary of the CPN (Maoist) Laldhowj had said at a press conference on December 17, 2005 at Mangaltar.

But the bereaved family, quoting some people, said, “Lama was seen with the Maoists” even after the Ghartichhap clash. Lama’s wife Purnimaya, who visited the police office to register the case, said, “We want him (Arjun) dead or alive.”

“An FIR cannot be registered unless the dead body and statement of a witness are produced,” DSP Mahendra Pokhrel said.

“I will look into the matter only after consulting with the zonal police.”