A probe committee under Narayan Gopal Malego, joint secretary at the Home Ministry, Monday disclosed the whereabouts of 166 persons disappeared involuntarily.

The committee reported that among the 116 individuals, 14 were released after interrogation, 17 persons were freed after serving jail term while 33 persons remain in detention and 45 have been kept at an investigation center at Sundarijal. Likewise, one person had surrendered to the government authorities and six persons were killed in encounters with security forces.

The committee in its earlier three reports has ‘disclosed’ the whereabouts of 204 persons disappeared involuntarily after being arrested by the security forces.

The committee’s report comes a day after the relatives and family members of the disappeared persons urged the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, which is currently in Nepal on a fact-finding mission, to help trace the whereabouts of the missing persons. The UN team under Stephen Toope is to disclose its report on Tuesday.

The Malego committee submitted its report to Home Minister Purna Bahadur Khadka. The committee’s tenure has been extended by another two months beginning today. nepalnews.com mbk Dec 13 04