Panel formed to probe Nagarkot, Belbari massacres

Kathmandu, May 10:

Lawmakers today could not table proposals on the revival of local bodies, revoking of the Terrorists and Disruptive Activities Control and Punishment Ordinance (TADO) and a proclamation on the constituent assembly election as “top leaders of the parties in parliament failed to come to any consensus”.

The meeting of the House of Representatives (HoR) had begun two hours behind the schedule, amid uncertainty over the agenda of the meeting since the seven-party alliance had not yet come to any consensus on “how to go about today.”

However, the HoR today unanimously endorsed two proposals on the formation of parliamentary committees to probe into the Nagarkot and Belbari massacres, and the murder of CPN-UML MP Hem Narayan Chaudary, and recommend action against the guilty.

The proposal on the Nagarkot and Belbari incident was tabled by Nepali Congress (NC) member of parliament (MP) Mahesh Acharya and was supported by MPs Lal Babu Pandit and Bhakta Bahadur Balayar.

The seven-member committee formed to probe into the Nagarkot and Belbari incidents is headed by MP Pari Thapa. MPs NP Saud, Gokarna Bista, Ram Narayan Adhikari, Bijay Subba, Tirtha Gautam and Kamala Pant are members of the committee. It should be recalled that an “enraged” army man had massacred 13 civilians, who were celebrating a festival in Nuwakot on December 4. Likewise, army men on April 26 had killed at least six civilians in Belbari and “raped and murdered” Sapana Gurung, a mother of two children, on April 25.

Gautam and Pant were added to the list after Kamala Pant raised “serious objection” for not including a woman MP in the probe committee.

The proposal tabled by CPN-UML MP Jaganath Khatiwada on the formation of a parliamentary panel to investigate into the killing of UML MP Hem Narayan Yadav of Siraha and recommend action against the guilty was passed. While Ananda Kumar Dhungana is the coordinator of the panel, MPs Anand Kumar Pokhrel, Ramesh Lekhak, Lekhnath Acharya, Yog Narayan Yadav, Sushila Nepal and Kashi Poudel are members of the panel.

Proposing the formation of a panel, Mahesh Acharya said such incidents would keep repeating unless the army comes under the purview of the Parliament. He also demanded that the victims be compensated.