The government has reiterated its commitment to book the culprits who raped and murdered Nirmala Pant as per the recommendations of the probe committee.

Minister for Home Affairs Ram Bahadur Thapa told the House of Representatives on Friday the government was serious about the Kanchanpur case and wanted the investigation process completed as soon as possible.

Speaker Krishna Bahadur Mahara issued a ruling to the minister on Thursday to inform Parliament about what was being done to book the criminals.

The opposition Nepali Congress had obstructed the House seeking clarification from the government.

Minister Thapa said the government had taken the lawmakers’ concerns seriously and that the culprits would not be spared at any cost. “Actions will be taken based on the report of the high-level investigation team,” he told the House. “The government wants the investigation to complete as soon as possible.”

A joint-secretary-led panel was formed on August 23 to look into the crime. Fifty-one days since the incident there has been no concrete progress towards arresting individuals involved in the heinous crime.

“The government mechanism is trying to cover up the incident rather than finding the truth,” NC lawmaker Dilendra Prasad Badu said during the question-answer session with Minister Thapa. “What assurance can it give of a fair investigation?”

Other opposition leaders also wondered what was keeping the government from nailing the criminals. Thapa responded that the probe panel would come out with a fair report recommending action against the culprits. He said the committee has authority to suggest action against those who tried to derail the case and to destroy the evidence.

The government had suspended Superinten-dent of Police Dilli Raj Bista, chief of the district police, for his dubious role in handling initial investigation.