The Supreme Court has issued a writ of mandamus to investigate the 2007 Gaur massacre.
On Monday, a bench comprising Justices Til Prasad Shrestha and Nityananda Pandeya issued the mandamus to proceed with the investigation of the massacre.
Tribhuvan Sah and others had filed a writ petition naming the District Police Office, Rautahat, and the District Government Attorney’s Office, Rautahat, as respondents.
Sah had filed the petition on June 4, 2023, seeking a mandamus for investigation into the massacre. The bench of Justices Shrestha and Pandeya issued the mandamus following a hearing on the petition on Monday.
On March 21, 2007, the then-CPN (Maoist) and the then-Madhesi People’s Rights Forum (MPRF) had organized events at the same venue, a rice mill in Gaur, Rautahat.
Before the events could begin, a violent clash broke out between the two groups, resulting in the deaths of 27 Maoist workers. Various reports state that these workers were chased and killed by MPRF supporters. According to a report by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), 115 people were injured in the incident.
After conducting an on-site study, the NHRC identified four causes of the incident.
First, the vengeful behavior between the then-Maoists and the MPRF, particularly stemming from an incident on January 31, 2007, in Gaur, where Maoists attacked and beat supporters and leaders of the MPRF, fostering a vengeful sentiment.
Second, while the MPRF had been publicizing its event scheduled for March 21, 2007, at the Gaur rice mill for 10-12 days, the Madhesi Liberation Front, a sister organization of the then-CPN (Maoist), selected the same venue just two days before the event, creating a situation for confrontation.
Third, the local Chamber of Commerce attempted to mediate by organizing a meeting to avoid holding events at the same time and place, but the Maoists did not attend, and both sides ignored verbal requests from the local administration.
Fourth, despite the District Security Committee’s decision on March 20, 2007, to request additional security personnel, the authorities concerned neglected to deploy them.
Complaints were filed against 130 individuals, including Upendra Yadav, chairman of the Janata Samajwadi Party Nepal, in connection with the incident. Three years ago, the NHRC had decided to initiate action on these complaints.
The government had formed a five-member commission to investigate the incident. The commission submitted its report on April 11, 2007.
