Himalayan News Service

Kathmandu, July 8:

Following an on-the-spot investigation of the killing of two security men by Maoists in Dhading,

the Human Rights Treaty Monitoring Coordination Committee has blamed both warring factions for human rights abuses. The Maoists killed two unarmed army men, Dilip Mukhiya and Sunil Kumar Tamang, at Bishalnagar of Salyantar VDC-8 , Dhading, on June 18.

However, following the shooting, forces reportedly terrorised and manhandled locals and forced them to close bazaars. Six army men from the joint security camp at Arughat, Gorkha, came to Dhading to shop, where they “showed their wrath” by physically abusing innocent civilians for eight days accusing them of sheltering Maoists. At least 64 individuals, including participants at a drinking water project training programme, were injured. The forces vandalised and shut the markets for 10 days and barred locals from even looking out of their windows, states the report released today, adding forces even cut off power supply for four days. “The Salyantar incident shows it is the civilians who are suffering in the conflict,” it says. It urged the government to endorse the Rome Constitution 1998 under which the International Criminal Court (ICC) was set up to try human rights violators at ICC.