Nepal: In a landmark verdict, the West Rukum District Court on Tuesday sentenced 24 individuals to life imprisonment on murder charges, and two others to two years in prison and a fine of Rs50,000 each on charges of practising caste-based discrimination and untouchability.
A single bench
of Judge Khadga Bahadur KC of the district court gave the sentencing in
relation to the killing of six youths in Chaurjahari Municipality of West Rukum
in 2020. The bench also added two more years to the life sentences of all 24
convicts along with a fine of Rs50,000 each. The fines accumulated from the
convicts will be provided to the victims’ families, according to police.
The hearing of
the case started on Sunday with the final verdict issued on Tuesday.
On May 23, 2020,
21-year-old Nabaraj BK, from Bheri Municipality in Jajarkot district, along
with 18 of his friends, had gone to Soti in Chaurjahari Municipality of West
Rukum to bring his 17-year-old girlfriend, belonging to so-called ‘upper
caste’, as his bride when the locals attacked them and chased them towards the
Bheri River.
Nabaraj along
with Ganesh Budha Magar, Tikaram Nepali, Lokendra Sunar, Govinda Shahi and
Sandip BK were killed in the incident. Twelve survived the attack with
injuries.
The bodies of
Nabaraj and his friend Tikaram were found on the banks of the Bheri River the
next day while the bodies of Ganesh, Lokendra and Sandip, who went missing
after the incident, were recovered on May 25, 2020, whereas that of Govinda
Shahi was recovered from Bheri river in Khodakhola, Jajarkot on June 2, 2020.
An investigation
by a high-level parliamentary committee formed on June 8, 2020 following the
incident concluded that the killings of six youths were a result of caste-based
discrimination and a crime against humanity. The report submitted to then
Speaker Agni Sapkota by the nine-member probe team had said that the incident
was premeditated and conspired by the girl’s family.
The West Rukum
District Police Office, by June 8, had arrested 28 people—20 of whom were prime
suspects in the murders and eight others for additional investigation.
Reports prepared
by various non-governmental investigation groups said that villagers blocked
all possible escape routes, including the Bheri river, and attacked BK and his
friends with domestic weapons and stones to eventually kill them.
Based on the
complaint of Nabaraj’s father, Munlal Nepali, a case was filed against 34
people, including the then chairman of ward 8 of Chaurjahari Municipality,
Dambar Bahadur Malla, in the incident. The Rukum District Attorney’s Office on
June 14 had filed three different cases against 34 people for their alleged
involvement in the killings of the Dalit youths.
The cases were
filed at the district court demanding life imprisonment under homicide,
attempted homicide and caste-based discrimination and untouchability charges.
Among the 34 accused, as many as 11 including the girl’s mother and two minors
were released on different dates by the Surkhet High Court and the Supreme
Court while 23 accused individuals were remanded to custody.
Legal experts
term the decision as historic saying this is the first murder case where so
many people have been convicted with a life term. “There were several attempts
at manipulation. However, the court has reinforced that the judiciary always
stands in favour of justice,” senior advocate Dinesh Tripathi, told the Post.
“The district court has passed a mature decision in the heinous crime triggered
by caste-based discrimination.”
Dalit rights
advocates welcomed the decision saying the judgment will be long remembered by
people of marginalised communities. “The judgment has given hope to the entire
marginalised community that at least the judiciary stands in their favour,”
Maheshwar Jung Gahatraj, a former minister, told the Post. “It also has been
established that a parliamentary report by our team was correct.”
An investigation
by a parliamentary committee in July 2020 had concluded that the killings were
a result of caste-based discrimination prevalent in society and a crime against
humanity. The incident was premeditated and conspired by a 17-year-old girl’s
family, which was unhappy about their daughter having an affair with Nabaraj
BK, 21, from Bheri Municipality in Jajarkot district as he belonged to a
so-called lower caste, the report had said.
Binod
Ghimire
Kathmandupost
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