Victim hurt as ‘tormentor’ becomes minister
MANOJ BASNET

KAVRE, NOV 16 -

Purnimaya Lama of Chhakrebajh VDC-5 in Kavre district has lost her hope for justice after UCPN (Maoist) Lawmaker Surya Man Dong, one of the convicts who allegedly murdered her husband Arjun during the insurgency, has been appointed as the state minister for energy.

“It is sad to see the guilty being a minister,” said Purnimaya in tears. “The government has compensated for the suffering of the victimised family by appointing Dong as a minister,” she added ironically.

Arjun, who was chairman of Krishna Secondary School in the village, was allegedly abducted by the Maoist cadres from the school premises in 2005. Purnimaya said she had approached authorities for justice, but to no avail.

She lodged a complaint in the District Police Office (DPO) three years ago, naming Dong, former Information and Communications Minister Agni Sapkota and Maoist cadres Yadav Poudel, Bhola Aryal, Karnakhar Gautam and Norbu Moktan as the main accused.   It was claimed in the complaint that Arjun was murdered by the cadres at Charkilla area in Budhakhani VDC in the district two months after his abduction and his body was buried in the area thereafter.

After the police refused to register their complaint, the victim’s family filed a writ in the Supreme Court in 2006 demanding action against the six. Ruling over the writ, the court ordered the DPO to investigate into the case.  Human rights defenders also lodged a writ in the court in May when Sapkota was a minister pointing him as a human rights violator.

The court ordered Kavre police to investigate into the case and submit a report within 15 days. However, police did not name Sapkota, Dong and other accused in the report handed to the court on October 12.

“Only we people are under the law, but those with political influence are not,” said Purnimaya, adding that she fears that the Maoists would attack her for her standing against them.