A report made public by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has depicted serious human rights violations in Nepal.

The OHCHR in its report released on Tuesday held the state responsible for a number of extra judicial executions, civilian killings, disappearances, arbitrary arrests and restrictions on fundamental rights like the freedom of expression, assembly and association.

The OHCHR report was presented to the Third Committee of the 60th UN General Assembly in New York. The UN rights body also pointed out serious human rights violations on the part of the Maoist insurgents. Acts like unlawful killings, rape, extortion, mass abduction and forced recruitment and labour have been committed by the rebels, according to the report.

“These could constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity,” it said.

The report mentioned that the OHCHR and other UN rights bodies were concerned about “serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law committed by state authorities and by the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist).”

According to the report, the OHCHR has received reports of indiscriminate shooting or bombings by security forces causing deaths of civilians, threats to members of the local population accused of providing the Maoists with food or shelter and the use of civilians under duress as informers, thereby placing them at risk of reprisals by the rebels.

The OHCHR had established its office in Nepal in May this year. Since then the UN body has investigated a number of rights abuse cases taking place in different parts of the country.

The OHCHR in its fresh report pointed out that resistance groups supported by the security forces have been committing rights abuses and other crimes.

The OHCHR also stated that it would inform the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations about individuals and units implicated in human rights violations and on officers who had threatened or intimidated victims or witnesses for a review of their suitability for deployment under the UN flag.

The government and the rebel side are yet to react to the OHCHR report.