Another youth arrested in connection to rape and murder of Nirmala Panta of Kanchanpur has been released.
Pradeep Rawal, who was arrested three weeks ago from Kathmandu, has been released by the Metropolitan Police Circle, Maharajgunj on Wednesday on order of the Kathmandu District Administration Office.
The police had initiated public offense case against Rawal while investigating against him on charge of raping Panta. Nepal Police Spokesperson Uttam Raj Subedi told Setopati that Rawal has been released on normal date on order of the Kathmandu District Administration Office. Subedi added that investigations on him, however, will continue.
A senior police officer told Setopati that Rawal has been released after his guilt in the case could not be established. Another youth Bishal Chaudhary, who was arrested along with Rawal, had already been released.
The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police had started investigation against the duo and the two youths had undergone DNA tests while in police custody. But their DNA did not match with the samples collected from Nirmala's vaginal swab.
"We had conducted investigations lodging public offense case on the basis of their confession of guilt. But they were not found guilty," a CIB source told Setopati.
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 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 Dilli Raj 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 after DNA samples collected from Nirmala Panta’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 Yagya 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 Bista was then suspended (he has now been dismissed) for mishandling the case while the CIB sent another team under SSP Thakur Gyawali for investigations.
Samples were then 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. But the DNA of the three did not match with the samples collected from Nirmala's vaginal swab. Police personnel involved in preliminary investigation have also undergone lie-detector tests.
Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa has since revealed that the clothes worn by Nirmala Panta were burnt and thumbprint of her father was forged in the field report prepared by the police.
