A fact finding mission of Human Rights Treaty Monitoring Coordination Committee (HRTMCC) has concluded that the murder of UML-activist Umesh Chandra Thapa in Dang last week was “intentional and brutal”.
Friends and relatives of Umesh Thapa, who was killed by the army in Dang on Wednesday, pay last tribute to him at Pashupati Aryaghat, Friday, Feb10, 06. nepalnews.com
After completing the field study of the incident site, the HRTMCC concluded that Thapa was killed by the security forces using excessive force at Ghorahi, Dang, on Wednesday.
Thapa was shot dead while Krishna Giri of Nepali Congress sustained serious injuries when Royal Nepalese Army personnel opened fire at a group of political cadres who were returning home after staging a peaceful demonstration at the district headquarter on the polling day.
“The background of the incident clearly proves that the incident was a consequence of the government’s policy of suppressing anyone opposing the municipal polls,” said the report, adding, “Security personnel fired at the political cadres who were dispersing after staging peaceful demonstrations. With banners and placards in their hands they could easily be identified even from a distance.”
The report also states that the incident was the result of Home Minister Kamal Thapa’s public order a day before the elections to open fire against anyone “who try to disrupt municipal polls.”
The fact-finding mission of HRTMCC found that the security forces did not give any kind of prior warning, such as blank-firing, baton-charging or making arrests before the shooting.
Addressing the programme organised to release the report, Subodh Pyakurel, chairman of Informal Education Sector Service Centre (INSEC), said the security forces had resorted to indiscriminate shooting at people who were returning home after taking part in a protest programme.
“The incident was the consequence of the Home Minister Thapa’s statement giving unlimited powers to security personnel,” claimed Pyakurel, adding that nobody can authorise the security forces for “unlimited rights” and no constitution permits a nominated Home Minister to deliver such “irresponsible” statement on serious topics like security.
Terming the incident pre-planned, Dr Gopal Krishna Shivakoti of Inhured International said the indiscriminate shooting could not be justified under any pretext.
HTRMCC has demanded to form an independent committee to probe the incident with the involvement of the UN Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights and has demanded action against the culprits.
Shova Gautam and Shobhakar Budhathoki, among others, were also included in the team.
The Defense Ministry, however, claimed in two separate statements that Thapa was killed and NC activist Krishna Giri was injured when security personnel opened fire in self-defense after an unruly crowd tried to attack a polling center at Bal Mandir and somebody from the crowd opened fire injuring a police inspector.
Independent reports, however, said Thapa was killed nearly one km away from the polling center and that demonstrators had kept themselves away from the polling center so as to avoid confrontation.
The government handed over body of late Thapa to his family two days after the incident but has refused to acknowledge any mistake on the part of the security personnel nor has agreed to provide any compensation to the family of the victim.
No. 2 in the royal government, Dr. Tulsi Giri, warned that such incidences would repeat in future if the political parties created similar situation and blamed a leading daily of provoking the situation.