Life sentence for *24 including father of Navaraj's girlfriend and then ward chair in Chaurjahari incident

Dipak Jung Shahi

Surkhet, Dec 5

The Rukum (West) District Court has slapped life sentence on 24 persons for murdering six youths including Navaraj BK in Chaurjahari-8, Rukum.

The bench of Judge Khadak Bahadur KC, after concluding the final hearing that started on Sunday, has also sentenced Navaraj’s girlfriend and mother for two years and fined them Rs 50,000 in case of caste discrimination. They were earlier released on date.

Those given life sentence include the then ward chairman of Chaurjahari-8 Dambar Bahadur Malla, father and brothers of Navaraj’s girlfriend among others.

Six youths of Jajarkot were killed when Navaraj, 21, of Bheri municipality 4, Jajarkot went with 18 others to elope with his 17-year-old girlfriend of Chaurjahari-8, Soti on May 23, 2020. The bodies were later recovered from the Bheri river at the border of Jajarkot and Western Rukum.

The killing was caste-motivated with Navaraj being a Dalit and the girl Malla.

Correction: The number of persons slapped with life term is 24 and not 23 as erroneously reported earlier. The error is regretted.