Dang shooting a planned incident, says report
Kantipur Report
KATHMANDU, Feb 12 - A probe team comprising human rights activists on Saturday came up with the conclusion that the Dang incident was a "planned incident" with an intention to kill cadres of the seven agitating political parties.
Terming the incident a "crime against humanity," the team also argued that the perpetrators have to be brought before the International Criminal Court.
Umesh Chandra Thapa, a CPN-UML cadre was shot dead while Krishna Giri of Nepali Congress-Democratic sustained serious injuries when the Royal Nepalese Army personnel opened fire at a group of political cadres who were returning home after staging a peaceful demonstration last Wednesday.
Releasing a field report prepared by the team, co-ordinated by the Human Rights Treaty Monitoring Committee in the capital Saturday, the members claimed that there was no reason to open fire at the group.
"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."
"As this is a crime against humanity, the government should immediately form a probe team and make public the facts of the incident," said the team members at the programme.
"The incident was the consequence of the home minister's statement giving unlimited powers to security personnel," claimed Subodh Raj Pyakurel, chairman of Insec.
Chief District Officer Pratap Kumar Pathak also stressed the need of forming a high-level probe committee, according to the report
Dr Gopal Shivakoti, Shova Gautam and Shovakar Parajuli, among others, were also included in the team.
Posted on: 2006-02-11 19:11:08 (Server Time)
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