Bam Bahadur Khadka (39) aka Arun of Dullu Municipality- 6 Chhiudipusakot is one among the four main accused for journalist Dekendra Thapa’s murder. His arrest has revived the case.
Dailekh’s District Court says a case can be revived after the main accused is arrested. This has also revived the case of the other three accused who haven’t been arrested yet. The case was revived on 3 March 2020, informed Binod Acharya, Information Officer of the court.
Bam Bahadur had been hiding since the Peace Accord in the fear of getting arrested. He was arrested by Kailali Police and was transferred to District Police Office Dailekh. Khadka was later presented to the court on 3 March 2020.
After the trial held on 3 March 2020, Justice Dandapani Lamichhane declared jail term to Bam Bahadur and also ordered to revive the case, informed court’s Information Officer Binod Acharya.
Journalist Thapa was killed on 11 August 2004 and was buried at Naumule Rural Municipality-3 Dwari and his corpse was found after four years. The final rituals were done on 2 August 2008 with his skeleton and complaint was filed against the accused nine on 28 August 2008.
Five amongst nine were arrested by the police on 4 January 2013 and a cased was filed against them. These five were sentenced for only two years on 7 December 2014 since they were found only assisting while burying the corpse of Thapa.
Then District Justice Dilli Ratna Shrestha’s bench sentenced Nirak Bahadur Gharti, Harilal Pun and Jaya Bahadur Shahi with two years’ jail term and Lakshi Ram Gharti Magar and Bir Bahadur K.C were sentenced for one and half and one year each.
Nirak Gharti Magar had already served jail term of one year, seven months and one day when the court had declared the sentence, after which he stayed in the jail for four months and 29 days and was released.
District Justice Shrestha’s bench decided on reviving the case filed against remaining four main accused- Bam Bahadur Khadka aka Arun and Keshav Khadka of Dullu Municipality- 6 Chhiudipusakot, Bam Bahadur Khadka aka Mukti of of Bhagwati mai Rural Municipality-6, Bhakti Ram Lamichhane of Banke Kohalpur Municipality-3.
Dekendra’s wife Laxmi Thapa filed a complaint against the accused on 28 August 2008 claiming Thapa’s death as a result of brutal beating during the abduction period.
Journalist Thapa, also the then chairperson of Drinking Water Consumer Committee was abducted while going to repair the source. He was abducted by the then underground CPN Maoist from Narayan Municipality-5 Bhaisekhor on 26 June 2004. After being kidnapped for 1.5 month, on 11 August 2004 he was killed at Nepal National Basic School. During the armed conflict, death of journalist Thapa had been publicly criticized because of which the then underground CPN Maoist did not want to show the corpse to Thapa’s family.
During the armed conflict, it was difficult to find Thapa’s dead body. Hence after the reference of Informal Sector Service Center (INSEC) Thapa’s family found the location of his corpse after four years in August, 2008. With the active participation of National Human Rights Commission and Federation of Nepalese Journalists on 2 August 2008, the skeleton of his corpse was found and final rituals were conducted.