Former Laxmi Mahato Koiri, who was convicted by the Janakpur High Court in the Thaman BK murder case and sentenced to five years’ imprisonment, was arrested by police at his residence in Nigaul, Gaushala Municipality-2, on July 2.
A joint bench of Judges Tek Narayan Kunwar and Murari Babu Shrestha of the Janakpur High Court overturned the verdict of the Mahottari District Court on July 1, found Koiri guilty, and sentenced him to five years’ imprisonment. Acting on the court’s order, police arrested Koiri, according to DSP Panchalal Gole of the District Police Office.
Earlier, on December 14, 2023, the single bench of Judge Uddhav Prasad Bhattarai of the Mahottari District Court sentenced Abhiram Sharma, parliamentary party leader of the Loktantrik Samajwadi Party Nepal, along with Pradip Sah Majhi, Sanjay Sah, Ram Shankar Mishra, Suresh Pandey, and Dhamrendra Ray, to life imprisonment. In the murder case of BK, the Mahottari District Court had acquitted the accused Pawan Kapar, and then House of Representatives member Laxmi Mahato.
The murder case against 28 people, including CPN-UML House of Representatives member Laxmi Mahato, was registered on August 13, 2018, in connection with the killing of Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Thaman BK during the Madhesh Movement on September 11, 2015, which was launched to secure constitutional rights for the Madheshi community.