The Parliamentary Women, Children, Elderly Citizen and Social Welfare Committee has renewed its directive to the Home Ministry to investigate the murder of Ramdulari Rana as well as the  police personnel who have been accused of distorting the evidence related to the case.

The committee chair, Ranju Jha, on Monday issued the directive after Ramdulari’s family complained that police did not launch any inquiry as previously ordered by the committee.

On July 13, the committee had instructed the then Home Minister Shakti Basnet and Inspector General of Police Upendra Kant Aryal to inquire about the murder of Ramdulari, a resident of Bedkot Municipality, Kanchanpur.

After listening to the incident’s versions from Ramdulari’s family and police, the committee had concluded that police personnel involved in the investigation had distorted the evidence with the intent of protecting the perpetrators. 

Ramdulari was reportedly murdered by the family members of her alleged lover Prakash Malla on the night of May 31. Her body was discovered five days later.

According to Ramdulari’s mother-in-law, when she requested Deputy Superintendent of Police Kedar Khanal to find her daughter-in-law, police went on to detain her husband instead. She also accused DSP Khanal and Superintendent of Police Tulasi Prasad Adhikari of District Police Office of refusing to register first information report (FIR).

Police had finally registered complaint seven days after the incident following pressure from local human rights activists.

Ramdulari’s family has also accused police of proposing settlement of the case with the Malla family outside the court and not conducting autopsy as the standard procedure dictates.

Jha has said that the committee will make sure that Ramdulari’s family is not denied justice.

The Committee has also asked the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare to provide compensation to Ramdulari’s family.