Nepali Congress lawmaker Ram Hari Khatiwada on Wednesday demanded investigation into the alleged involvement of at least eight parliamentarians in human trafficking by forging government documents.

Addressing Wednesday’s meeting of the Legislature-Parliament, Khatiwada demanded that the Parliament Secretariat publish records of all those who have accompanied lawmakers to foreign countries after the second Constituent Assembly elections.

Referring to media reports that eight lawmakers of the CPN (Maoist Centre), earlier known as the UCPN (Maoist), had forged documents of the Department of Consular to insert “one more name” for travelling to Spain.

The Central Investigation Bureau of Nepal Police has launched a probe against lawmakers Goma Kunwar, Dor Prasad Upadhyay, Srijana Tamaru Khatri, Santa Kumar Tharu, Rupa Maharjan Shrestha, Ram Maya Bogati, Dil Maya Dhami and Dhana Pahari on charges of forging government documents and human trafficking.

Earlier in 2011, eight lawmakers from different parties had courted controversy for forging their diplomatic passports “to facilitate others to fly abroad”.

Gayatri Sah, Bishwanath Prasad Yadav, Shiva Pujan Yadav, Ram Sahay Prasad Yadav, Rambha Devi, Salma Khatun Mikrani, Sanjay Kumar Sah, Karima Begum and Naradmuni Rana had allegedly forged their passports, allowing other people to travel on their diplomatic passports.

Paswan faces allegation

KATHMANDU: Nepali Congress lawmaker on Wednesday alleged that at least 15 persons who had accompanied Minister for Environment and Population Bishwendra Paswan to Europe a few months ago never returned to the country and that “they are currently living in France and Portugal”. Speaking at Parliament, he claimed that around Rs 1.7 million each was raised to take them to Europe as participants of Conference of Parties (CoP) meeting in Paris in December. Minister Paswan, however, denied the charges, saying everyone who had accompanied him had returned and that those who “are still there might have been taken by NGOs”.