Sher Bahadur Chhettri of Pang village in Parbat registered a complaint at the Commission on Investigation of Enforced Disappeared Persons (CIEDP) on April 21 about his son’s disappearance during the conflict.

Sher Bahadur, in his complaint, has accused the Maoist rebels behind the disappearance of his son Bel Bahadur and demanded a probe. What little hope Sher Bahadur had of learning the truth about his missing son while registering the complaint was dashed by last week’s nine-point deal between CPN-UML and UCPN (Maoist), the former rebel party. One of the points agreed by the two parties is initiating the process of withdrawing the cases filed during the war era or awarding clemency to the perpetrators.

Sher Bahadur says the nine-point deal defeats the purpose of setting up the transitional justice bodies.

“What is the point if the perpetrators of grave crimes, be it the Maoists or the state Army,  are acquitted? I really doubt if my son’s case will be heard by any court now,” Sher Bahadur says. “The nine-point-deal is just an expedient to ensure longevity of  this government and to preclude legal action against the perpetrators of war crimes.” 

Prakash Poudel of Kushma is also harbouring the sense of frustration and helplessness these days. Poudel was arrested by the Army in December, 2001, and subjected to torture for 28 days on charge of supplying weapons to the rebels. The torture Poudel suffered while in detention left him sick for which he still takes medicines.

“The soldiers used to kick me in my bare chest every night. I cannot breathe properly now. Both my heart and lungs are slowly giving away,” Poudel says. “The transitional justice bodies  were our only hope and they are trying to take that away with the nine-point deal.”

It has been only a month since the transitional justice bodies started taking in

complaints of conflict-era crimes. But despondency has already set in among many victims because of the nine-point deal.

Cases lodged against retaliation squads

Of the total 51 complaints of conflict-era crimes registered at the Local Peace Committee in Nawalparasi, 18 are against the retaliation squads that were formed by villagers to defend their homes and community against the Maoist rebels. Such vigilante groups, backed by the state during the war, are mostly accused of stealing valuables and seizing properties of other villagers. Most of the complaints have come from Khairtawa VDC.

The groups dissolved after the war ended. Many members of these groups are today members of different political parties.