National
High Court issues letter to arrest Thaman murder accused state minister, mayor
The Janakpur High Court has issued a letter to the District Police Office, Mahottari, to arrest Province 2 State Minister and Jaleshwor Municipality Mayor Ram Shankar Mishra, the accused in the murder of Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Thaman BK.The Janakpur High Court has issued a letter to the District Police Office, Mahottari, to arrest Province 2 State Minister and Jaleshwor Municipality Mayor Ram Shankar Mishra, the accused in the murder of Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Thaman BK.
According to High Court Registrar Man Bahadur Karki, the court issued a letter along with the court mandamus order directing the district police to arrest the murder accused on Thursday.
The District Police Office, however, said that it had not received the letter sent by the court via post office until Friday noon.
“We will abide by the order once we receive the letter,” DPO Chief SP Kuber Kadayat said. “Legal action will be initiated as per the law.”
SP Kadayat, however, has been transferred and SP Ishwor Karki will take the responsibility of the District Police Office.
A Division bench of Justice Madhav Prasad Pokharel and Justice Rabi Sharma on Tuesday had issued a letter in the name of District Police Office and its chief to arrest the murder accused at the earliest.
State Minister Sharma and Mayor Mishra had won the elections from the Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal.
Kaushal Raya, who was elected as the Province Assembly member from Mahottari Constituency-4, is also accused in the case.
Raya is a leader of Sanghiya Samajbadi Forum-Nepal. ASI BK was lynched during the Madhes agitation on September 11, 2015. The suspects had allegedly dragged the injured officer from an ambulance and murdered him.
Following the incident, Thaman’s brother Prem Bahadur BK had filed a complaint at the DPO, Mahottari, against 28 people.
Based on the complaint, the Mahottari District Court on March 10, 2016, had ordered the police to present the arrested suspects before the court to record their statements. The court had also issued an arrest warrant against the absconding suspects.
Thaman’s widow Shobha Gahatraj had filed a writ petition at the Janakpur High Court on April 11, 2018, seeking a mandamus order claiming that the DPO, Mahottari, was reluctant to arrest the suspects.