The Royal Nepalese Army (RNA) on Sunday constituted a team to investigate into the alleged manhandling of over 100 local residents of Routeli Bichuwa area of Kanchanpur district by RNA men inside the barrack on Saturday.

The state-owned Radio Nepal said the RNA’s Far-western divisional headquarters in Dipayal formed an inquiry team chaired by Colonel Ram Krishna Adhikari of No.24 Briade of the RNA.

The probe team was constituted after media reports said that RNA soldiers, who were in the area to inquire about the killing of a RNA soldier on Wednesday by suspected Maoists, physically assaulted more than 100 innocent villagers – mostly elderly people, women and children -after bringing them to the barrack.

Political parties and human rights organizations were quick to denounce the alleged manhandling of the innocent local people.