National
Accused Bista sent to Kathmandu for medical examination
Dilip Singh Bista, the man that Kanchanpur police claim to have raped and murdered 13-year-old Nirmala Panta, was sent to Kathmandu for medical examination on Tuesday.Dilip Singh Bista, the man that Kanchanpur police claim to have raped and murdered 13-year-old Nirmala Panta, was sent to Kathmandu for medical examination on Tuesday.
Superintendent of Police Kuber Kadayat said Bista was flown to the Capital city where he was due to be examined by the medical professionals of the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital.
“Bista was taken to Kathmandu for medical examination because his mental well being has been a cause for concern following his arrest,” SP Kadayat told the Post.
On August 20, the District Police Office, Kanchanpur, had presented 41-year-old Bista before the media as the main accused behind the rape and murder of Nirmala, whose body was discovered in a sugar cane field in Mahendranagar on July 27, a day after she was reported missing.
The Mahendranagar residents have been insisting that Bista, who has long been suffering from mental illness, is innocent, and that he was framed by police to protect the real culprits. Protests escalated in Mahendranagar and in other parts of Kanchanpur following Bista’s arrest.
On August 24, a teenage boy succumbed to bullet wound and several demonstrators were injured after police opened fire at a rally. Authorities clamped curfew in Mahendranagar and its adjoining areas in the wake— the curfew orders had not been fully lifted as of Tuesday. Despite the curfew imposed in Mahendranagar, protest rallies demanding justice for Nirmala have gained ground across the country.
Bowing down to the protests, the government agreed to investigate into Nirmala’s gruesome death from the start early this week. The Home Ministry recalled the Chief District Officer, the Superintendent of Police and the Deputy Superintendent of Police to Kathmandu amid the public allegation that the three men in authority deliberately mishandled and misguided the investigation to protect the real culprits.
The government also formed a high level committee to probe into the incident.
“The committee is working closely with Kanchanpur police in the case,” SP Kadayat said.
Police are also questioning sisters Roshani Bam and Babita Bam after the District Court on Monday remanded the duo to six days of judicial custody.
Nirmala had gone missing on July 26, the day she had visited the house of Bam sisters, where they lived on their own.
“The investigation officers as well as the District Attorney’s Office are investigating into the Bam sisters,” SP Kadayat said.
The sisters are due to be presented at court on Wednesday to record their statements.