Report on Nirmala Panta’s murder unveiled

In its conclusion, the report mentions that Nepal Police remained indifferent though the police was informed the very day about the missing of Nirmala. Similarly, the report states that police personnel deployed in the evidence collection relating to the murder incident of Niramla also remained careless.

Trained dogs were not used to identify the criminals while the sufficient number of security personnel were not deployed by the then police chief of the district in and around the sites where the dead body of Niramala was recovered, reads the report.

Similarly, Anita Bam (Babita) and Aanchal Bam (Roshani) residing in the house from where Nirmala had gone missing were not taken into custody for investigations while Dilip Singh Bista was made public by extending his time for investigations without sufficient evidences, according to the report.

The members of the victim family and general people expressed their doubt over the activities carried out by police due to behaviour and working style of the then Police Chief, Dilliraj Bista, police administration and some people exerted pressure to victim family to perform final rites of the deceased, reads the report.

The report also suggested to carry out investigations against the police officials who were in probe committee as well as take action against them immediately. The panel suggested to take departmental action against some police personnel for their carelessness in the safety of the site, where the body of Nirmala was recovered.

Similarly, the report also asked to take departmental action against the Superintendent of Police, Bista, as he was not found visiting the incident site even after getting information about such incident as well as he did not fulfill his responsibility in investigation of the case as per his position.

The committee suggested to bring all suspected office-bearers in the incident as per the evidence, reality and circumstances of the incident under the ambit of the investigation and ensure social rehabilitation of the victims’ family members from the state side as the normal living of the victim family was affected.

Through a minister-level decision, Minister for Home Ram Bahadur Thapa had formed a five-member panel on August 23. In the panel led by Ministry’s Joint Secretary Hari Prasad Mainali, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Nepal Police Ram Prasad Shrestha, DIG of the Armed Polie Force Nepal Basanta Baniya, Investigation Director of the National Investigation Department Laxman Gurung and Under Secretary of Internal Affairs and Law Ministry of the Far West Province Birendra KC were the members.