Biratnagar, June 7:

The families of missing persons today lamented that the Morang District Police Office (DPO) had been refusing to register complaints regarding disappearance and killing of their kin during the decade-long insurgency.

Chandra Shrestha, wife of Purna Shrestha of Indrapur-6 in Morang, who was killed by security forces during the conflict, came to the Morang DPO to file a murder case against 56 persons including then army major Sunil Shrestha posted at the Nepal Army Eastern Divisional headquarters.

“I have been coming to the DPO daily since Tuesday to file a complaint but the police have been refusing to register it,” Chandra said, adding: “I have had to suffer greatly ever since my husband was killed.”

The relatives of the seven persons killed by security forces in Morang have been coming to the Morang DPO to file their complaints since Tuesday. The regional office of Advocacy Forum is assisting the victims to seek legal remedy.

Relatives of Dataram Timsina, Madhuram Gautam, Ratna Bahadur Karki, Dhan Bahadur Tamang, Bidur Bhattarai and Purna Shrestha — all of whom were arrested and killed by the security forces — have been trying to lodge complaints at the Morang DPO.

According to the Home Ministry, Dataram Timsina was killed in a clash at Keraun. Dataram’s brother Keshav, however, said the human rights cell of Nepal Army claims that Dataram was killed in a clash at Kerabari. Dataram was taken away by security forces on September 27, 2003.

Bal Krishna Acharya of the Advocacy Forum said police should register the complaints of the conflict victims’ families. Meanwhile, SP at the Morang DPO, Gopal Bhandari, told this daily that complaints were not registered as no decision was taken on the issue. “The matter would be sorted out within a week,” he said.

Last Friday the SC had issued a mandamus order to the government to compensate the victims’ kin.