The government has formed a high-level team to investigate the rape and murder of the teenager.

The Ministry of Home Affairs on Thursday formed a five-member probe panel led by Joint-secretary Hari Mainali with Nepal Police DIG Ram Prasad Shrestha, Armed Police Force DIG Basanta Baniya and Investigation Director of National Investigative Department Laxman Gurung, and Under-secretary at the Province 7 Ministry of Internal Affairs Birendra KC as members. The panel has got 15 days to complete the probe and submit its report.

As the role of the local administration in handling the case has been questioned, the Home Ministry also transferred Kanchanpur Chief District Officer Kumar Bahadur Khadka and SP Dilli Raj Bista, the district police chief.

Khadka is replaced by Taranath Adhikari and Bista by SP Kuber Kadhyat. Deputy Superintendent of Nepal Police Gyan Bahadur Shetti was also transferred.

Earlier, Province 7 lawmakers met Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa and requested him to take the incident seriously. They demanded facts related to the incident, compensation for the bereaved family, treatment for injured protesters, end to police intervention in protests by locals, and the official position of the Home Ministry on the crime. In a statement on Thursday, the Home Ministry appealed for peace. It has urged the concerned sides to show restraint after the situation became violent following clashes between locals and police in Kanchanpur. (PR)