Prime Minister (PM) KP Sharma Oli has assured parents of 13-year-old Nirmala Panta of Kanchanpur, who was raped and murdered, that he will leave no stone unturned to provide justice.
PM Oli gave the assurances to Nirmala's parents who went to the PM's official residence in Baluwatar Monday morning to hand over a memorandum letter. "Nirmala is not just your daughter. She is our daughter as well. Rest assured, the government will leave no stone unturned to search the murderers. We have also punished those who acted irresponsibly in investigation," a participant in the meeting quoted PM Oli as saying.
Nirmala's mother told PM Oli that they have arrived in Kathmandu for justice. She briefed the details of the incident right from the time Nirmala left home till now during the 45-minute meeting, according to the participant.
The perpetrators have not been identified till the 53rd day of the incident despite the government forming two probe committees.
The body of 13-year-old Panta of Bhimdutta municipality 2, who had gone to a friend’s home for study on July 26, was found at a sugarcane field the next day.
A Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) team led by DSP Angur GC had reached Kanchanpur four days after the incident. Doubts arose about the police investigation after the CIB team and the then SP at Kanchanpur Bista made 41-year-old Dilip Singh Bista, who was mentally challenged, public as the culprit on the 24th day of the incident on August 18.
The District Government Attorney Office released Bista on Tuesday after DNA samples collected from Nirmala’s body did not match with that of Bista.
The locals have been claiming that Bista was framed by the police to save the real culprits. Nirmala’s father Ek Raj has claimed that the police put pressure on him to file a complaint identifying Bista as the main accused.
One boy was killed in police firing and dozens injured in clashes with police as the locals protested for days accusing the police of trying to save the real culprits.
The then SP of Kanchanpur Dilli Raj Bista was then suspended for mishandling the case while the CIB sent another team under SSP Thakur Gyawali for investigations.
The Home Ministry on Saturday suspended five including three of the CIB team that had went to Kanchanpur on July 30 to assist the local police in investigation.
Samples have already been collected for DNA test of the suspended SP Bista, his son Kiran and Aayush Bista, nephew of Mayor of Bhimdutta municipality Surendra Bista to investigate the case.
