A joint complaint has been registered against former king Gyanendra Shah and then home minister and incumbent Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Kamal Thapa at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission for the Doramba incident, which is mentioned as an emblematic case in the UN’s Conflict Report.

In 2003, security personnel had arrested and killed 22 unarmed cadres of then rebel party CPN (Maoist) in 2003 in Doramba of Ramechhap district. Investigations, conducted by the National Human Rights Commission as well as other rights organisations, had found that the detainees had their hands tied behind their backs and were shot dead at close range.

Thirteen years after the incident, 17 family members of the victims on Thursday lodged a complaint against security personnel, who led the patrol and the local administrator responsible for the incident. “Because it was a mass killing, we decided to lodge a joint compliant,” said the husband of one of the victims, who was one of the 17 persons who lodged the complaint on Thursday.

Ram Mani Pokharel of then Royal Nepal Army had led the patrol to the village.  

“The incident is known to the world as a heinous crime committed by the state,” said the complainant, who is also a central member of the CPN (Maoist Centre). “We have filed complaints against the then head of security forces and the administrator.”

Pyarajung Thapa was the chief of Army and Shyam Bhakta Shrestha was the chief of Nepal Police when the incident took place.

Then home secretary Ananta Raj Sharma Panday, then Chief District Officer Chudamani Basyal and DSP Ram Prasad Shrestha among others also have been named in the complaint.

“We hope the perpetrators will be brought to justice,” said Shyam Shrestha, a lawmaker from Ramechhap district, who accompanied the family members who lodged the complaint.