National
Family refuses to receive body, NC warns of protest
The family of slain Nepali Congress (NC) activist Rambilas Mahato has refused to receive his body unless the authorities bring the guilty to book and declare the deceased a martyr.Om Prakash Thakur
The family of slain Nepali Congress (NC) activist Rambilas Mahato has refused to receive his body unless the authorities bring the guilty to book and declare the deceased a martyr.
Rambilas, 55, succumbed to bullet injuries following a violent clash between the supporters of the Nepal Communist Party (NCP) and the NC at Bauharwa in Ramnagar-4 on Tuesday. His body is kept in the morgue of the district hospital.
Ram Naresh Mahato, the deceased’s nephew and ward chairman of Ramnagar Rural Municipality-4, said they would receive the body only after the government addressed their demands. The ward chairman, who got injured in the clash, is receiving treatment in the Sarlahi District Hospital.
On Wednesday, the NC organised a protest meeting in Malangawa, the district headquarters of Sarlahi, demanding for the immediate arrest of the NCP activists involved in the killing. Addressing the function, NC Vice-President Bimalendra Nidhi said the party would launch into protest if the government failed to arrest the culprits at the earliest. He also criticised the police administration for not taking legal actions against the guilty.
“The government and the local administration are trying to protect the culprits. We will organise strong protests in Province 2 if the government does not detain the guilty soon,” said Nidhi.
The NC vice-president claimed that the local administration did not arrest the assailants even after the victim’s relatives registered a complaint against the guilty.
Nidhi, who is a former home minister, met with the seven NC supporters injured in the clash who are receiving treatment at the district hospital.
Meanwhile, the NC district committee submitted a memorandum to the Ministry of Home Affairs through Chief District Officer (CDO) Dron Pokharel, demanding the authorities to declare the deceased a martyr, to provide compensation to the bereaved family and treatment expenses to the injured, to arrest the culprits and to control illegal arms in the area.
After receiving the memorandum, CDO Pokharel has pledged to investigate into the case and bring the guilty to book immediately.