Growing interest of security agencies in the complaint registration process initiated by the transitional justice bodies has put conflict victims on the horns of dilemma whether they should register cases at the local peace committees (LPCs), as they fear retribution. And if they don't file cases, they might never get justice.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappeared Persons (CIEPD) started taking complaints from conflict victims through LPCs and their headquarters in the Capital from mid-April in order to start looking into war-era crimes.

Conflict victims have long expressed their concern about individual security and confidentiality.

Recent reports that the Nepal Army “has demanded details of cases and the individuals who had registered the cases” have left conflict victims, who have been waiting for justice for about a decade, worried. “We are not sure about advising conflict victims to register their cases,” said Rupesh Shah, secretary of the Conflict Victims Common Platform (CVCP). “They are feeling unsafe after the security agencies started demanding the details of the complainants, while the commissions have done nothing to ensure security,” added Shah.

Last week security agencies had approached the LPCs seeking details of cases registered against security personnel. The CVCP, an alliance of 17 conflict victims who suffered at the hands of then Maoist rebels and the state during the decade-long insurgency, has been monitoring the case registration process in all districts.

“Many of those who have taken registration forms are a bit disinclined to submit the forms,” said Shah.

TRC Chairperson Surya Kiran Gurung, however, said concerns of security agencies were unwarranted and that the issue has already been discussed with the authorities concerned. “There were some incidents in the Mid-West, where security agencies had sought details of the complaints filed by the victims,” said Gurung. “They may have been ignorant about the sensitivity and confidentiality required in such cases.”

The Transitional Justice Act has a provision ensuring security to the victims.

According to Gurung, the TRC through the Ministry of Home Affairs has asked the chief district officers to arrange for security that conflict victims need.

But Gurung said there was no discouragement among conflict victims when it comes to registering complaints and cases.

The TRC till Thursday had received a total of 2,344 cases, which makes 200 cases a day since it started taking complaints from mid-April.

The CIEDP, on the other hand, has received 604 cases so far, 40 percent of the total 1,522 cases of disappearance enlisted by the Peace Ministry. “At this rate we hope to get all the complaints in two months,” said CIEDP Chairperson Lokendra Mallick.