KATHMANDU: Minister of Home Affairs Ram Bahadur Thapa on Wednesday met Home Secretary Prem Kumar Rai and Inspector General of Police Sarbendra Khanal to discuss departmental action to be initiated against police officers who botched up the probe into the rape and murder of Nirmala Panta.

A MoHA source told THT that former Kanchanpur district police chief Superintendent of Police Dilliraj Bista, Deputy Superintendent of Police Gyan Bahadur Sethi, Inspector Ekendra Khadka and cops led by DSP Angur Joshi of Central Investigation Bureau were likely to face stern departmental action for framing Dilip Singh Bista as the perpetrator without any substantial investigation.

SP Bista has already been suspended. Meanwhile, Nepal Police Headquarters has formed a panel headed by Senior Superintendent of Police Uttam Kumar Subedi to investigate the role of police officers in the Kanchanpur incident.

The panel will recommend to the headquarters action against the negligent officers as per the gravity of their offence, a source said.