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Krishna Adhikari
On 6 June 2004, Krishna Prasad Adhikari, a resident of Fujel village of Gorkha District, was murdered in Chitwan District by Maoist cadres. Krishna Prasad was visiting his grandparents after having taken the SLC examinations, and he was abducted from Bakullahar Chowk by men who came on a motorcycle ...
Maina Sunuwar
Around 6 am on February 17, 2004, a group of RNA soldiers arrested Ms Maina Sunuwar, a 15-year-old schoolgirl of Kharelthok VDC-6, Kavre district. She disappeared since her arrest. Her family members, with support from villagers and school where Maina was a student, visited detention centers ...
Sanjeev Kumar Karna
Sanjeev Kumar Karna was one among the 11 persons arrested on October 8, 2003. On that fateful day, they had gone to attend a picnic program organized by the students at a place called Kariyachauri VDC-4, and from picnic, they went to Kataiya Chowri Area of Dhanusha district where they ate some food ...
Arjun Bahadur Lama
Arjun Bahadur Lama, 48 years in age, permanent resident of Chhatrebas VDC -5, Dapcha in Kavre district was abducted by a group of Maoist cadres, three in number, on 29 April 2005 (2062.1.16 BS) from the premises of Sri Krishna Secondary School at Chhatrebas VDC-1 of the district.
Hari Prasad Bolakhe
Hari Prasad Bolakhe, 35 (while missing) a permanent resident of Phulbari VDC-8, Kavre district, a pastor by profession, had been missing since the arrest December 27, 2003, was reportedly killed by security persons. A team of National Human Rights Commission discovered a human skeleton in a jungle ...
Sarala Sapkota
Around 11 p.m. on July 15, 2004, a group of 12 armed soldiers arrested Sarala Sapkota at her grandfather's house. The family, who witnessed the arrest, stated that soldiers gave Sarala no reason for her arrest. After her arrest, Sarala's family went to Baireni barracks and the DPO ...
Birendra Shah
On the evening of 5 October 2007, Mr. Birendra Shah, 34, resident of Inruwasira VDC-8, Bara district, a local journalist of Bara district and correspondent of Nepal FM, Avenues Television and Dristi weekly, was abducted by Maoists from Pipara Bazaar in Kalaiya, the district headquarters of Bara ...
Bishwanath Parajuli, Tom Nath Poudel and Dhan Bahadur Tamang
Three persons namely Bishwonath Parajuli (also called Nagendra Parajuli), Tom Nath Poudel and Dhan Bahadur Tamang of Hasandaha VDC, Morang were shot dead by the security personnel on 28 September 2004. According to the eyewitnesses, other victims and the villagers, about 16 people were arrested ...
Chot Nath Ghimire and Shekhar Nath Ghimire
Chot Nath Ghimire, a 58-year-old farmer, resident of Ishaneshor VDC-4, Ratamate Majhpokhari of Lamjung district was allegedly arrested by the Joint Security Forces of Joint Security Camp stationed at Bhorlatar VDC, Lamjung district on February 2, 2002 (2058.10.20). The security camp called Mr. ...
Bhauna Tharu
Bhauna Tharu (Bhauna Chaudhary in the citizenship card), 21 years old male (at the time of the incident; Date of Birthe: 8 September 1978), son of Purna Bahadur Chaudhary, permanent resident of Sujanpur village, Neulapur VDC-4, Bardiya district, and an employee of Rastriya Gobar Gas, Gulariya, ...
Stories from the Frontline of Human Rights Work in Nepal
During Nepal's armed conflict and its aftermath, human rights violations not only scarred and destroyed the victims but had a devastating effect on the lives of human rights defenders.
Victim's Details:
Name: Arjun Bahadur Lama
Date of Incident: April 19, 2005
Address: Chhatrebanjh VDC-5, Dapcha, Kavre District
Perpetrators' Details:
1. Maoist member Yadav Poudel alias "Rakki," from Puranagaun VDC-8, Kavre District;
2. Maoist member Bhola Aryal, from Mathurapati VDC-3, Phulbarai, Kavre District;
3. Maoist cadre Karnakhar Gautam alias "Shyam," from Pokharichauri VDC-8, Kavre District;
4. Maoist Central Committee Member Agni Sapkota, from Sindhupalchowk, CPN-M Central Office, Buddhanagar, Kathmandu;
5. Suryaman Dong alias "Laldhoj," the CPN-Maoist district secretary, Kavre District;
6. Maoist member Norbu Moktan, from Mechhe VDC-9, Kavre District.
Summary: Arjun Bahadur Lama, 48 years in age, permanent resident of Chhatrebas VDC -5, Dapcha in Kavre district was abducted by a group of Maoist cadres, three in number, on 29 April 2005 (2062.1.16 BS) from the premises of Sri Krishna Secondary School at Chhatrebas VDC-1 of the district.
After the abduction, Arjun Lama was taken to military training centre of the Maoists stationed in the vicinity Budakhani VDC of the district. According to Arjun's wife Purni Maya, he was produced before Agni Sapkota, a Central Committee Member of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) by a local Maoist activist Norbu Moktan. Then on the direct command of Spakota, other Maoist activists present there killed him in the fourth week of June 2005 and buried his body.
Details of the Incident and Development: On the afternoon of April 19, 2005, Arjun Bahadur Lama was celebrating his election as president of the Shree Krishna Secondary School at the school's premises in Chhatrebanjh VDC. During the felicitation ceremony, Maoist cadre Yadav Poudel, alias "Rakki," Bhola Aryal, and Karnakhar Gautam, alias "Shyam," stormed into the ceremony and abducted Arjun, claiming that they had some business with him. According to those who witnessed subsequent events, Maoists marched him through various villages in Kavre District. Arjun's wife filed a complaint with the NHRC
on May 3, 2005. In late June 2005, several witnesses told the family how Maoist cadres took Arjun to Buddhakani VDC, where they killed him. Arjun's wife made several requests to the CPN-M for information about her husband. Finally, on December 17, 2005, Suryaman Dong, the CPN-M district secretary, stated at a press conference that Arjun Bahadur Lama was forcibly taken away by Norbu Moktan (a central committee member of the Tamang Liberation Front, which was affiliated with the CPN-M), and a platoon commander of Bashusmriti Brigade (who was present at the killing, but according to Maoist sources not involved in the killing).
Suryaman stated that when they were in Ghartichhap, the NA launched an aerial attack during which Arjun was killed. After hearing Suryman at the press conference, Arjun's wife made another application to the NHRC asking them to recover Arjun's body. The NHRC conducted a scene inspection, and concluded that Arjun had not been killed during an army attack, but that he had been detained and killed. His body has not yet been recovered.
Official Action: Advocacy Forum supported the family in filing a FIR on June 28, 2007, but the police in Kavre refused to register it fearing reprisals from the Maoists. Advocacy Forum approached the CDO but he also refused to register the case. As a result, a writ was filed in the Supreme Court on July 16, 2007, requesting a court order for the police to register the FIR, start impartial investigations, and seek prosecution. On March 10, 2008, the Supreme Court ordered the Kavre police to register a murder case against the five Maoist members and Maoist Central Committee member, Agni Sapkota. As a result, on August 11, 2008, the Kavre police finally registered an FIR.
Update (September 2009): On February 4, 2009, Kavre police told Advocacy Forum they had corresponded with the Sindhupalchowk DPO on June 19, 2008, to search for and arrest defendants from that district. The police said that they received a letter from Sindhupalchowk DPO on July 25, stating that Agni Sapkota had not been found in their district. Agni Sapkota is now a member of the Constituent Assembly.
On April 28, 2009, Kavre police told Advocacy Forum, OHCHR-Nepal, and a member of the victim's family they had taken no further action, but after two hours of dialogue they agreed to write a letter to NHRC requesting help to locate the exact place of burial of Arjun Lama and try to identify witnesses, with technical support from OHCHR if required.
The police questioned some witnesses in May, 2009. On May 4, 2009, the Kavre DPO wrote to the local police post at Foksingtar (the place where the killing allegedly took place) asking them to prepare a report about the incident.
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Statements / Memos
Joint Submission to Attorney General requesting for investigation and prosecution of torture cases in police custody
Nepal - Submission to the Special Rapporteur - 8 August, 2022
Joint Press Statement-International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances - 30 August 2022 (English Version)
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