Nepali Army soldier dies mysteriously

DHARAN: A Nepali Army soldier has died mysteriously at the No 2 Battalion of the Nepali Army in Dhankuta. Soldier Resham Bahadur Bhandari hailing from Dada Parajul-5, Dailekh, who was undergoing training at the brigade, died mysteriously on February 9.

Kin of Bhandari have accused that he had died because of physical assault but the brigade stated that he had died due to cold. Nan Bahadur Bhandari, brother of the dead soldier, claimed that he was killed by a group of soldiers including Jemdar Ran Bahadur Tamang. He has demanded stern actions against the culprits.

The dead body was taken to BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, on February 10 as the autopsy could not be done at the District Hospital, Dhankuta.

Nan Bahadur accused that the autopsy was carried out by the brigade though he had demanded to carry it out in the presence of human rights activists and mediapersons. Nan Bahadur said that he had seen marks of rope tied on the limbs, serious injuries on the face and the body and the left eye missing. In the letter handed over to Nan Bahadur by the NA, it was stated that his brother Resham had died suddenly. Resham had joined the NA seven years ago and is survived by his wife and 18-month-old son.

However, Lieutenant Colonel Bijendra Gautam had no comments on the issue. Dharanidhar Koirala, regional administrator, said that he had no information regarding the issue. Dhankuta CDO Kali Prasad Koirala said that he too had no knowledge about the incident. Rajesh Bidrohi, chairman, FNJ Sunsari chapter, accused that NA had denied people's right to information.