Sixteen Years of the Bandarmudhe Incident: Hope for Justice in Status Quo
It has been sixteen years since the cadres of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) detonated an electric trap to a passenger bus, Na 1 Kha 3245, in Bandarmude river which lies on the border of the then Kalyanpur VDC-1 and 4. Forty-two persons were killed by the detonated electric trap. Thirty-eight persons, 35 civilians and three disarmed security persons, were killed on the spot. Four severely injured were died during their treatment. There were 72 victims (people) of severe injury.
Various political changes have happened after the Comprehensive Peace Accord. The provision for justice and reparation are mentioned in the political agreements regarding the cases of serious human rights violations related to the armed conflict including the Bandarmudhe incident. But the tangible progress has not been made in the issue of justice and reparation in the cases of severe human rights violation and heinous crimes. There is a status quo in victims’ hope for justice. The negligence to the victims’ rights to justice has demonstrated the irresponsibility of the Government of Nepal and political parties. There is no public information regarding the investigation in such cases done by the existing transitional justice mechanisms.
A statement issued by Chairperson of the CPN-Maoist, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, on June 6, 2005, accepted that there was a mistake and stated that the truth and facts would be made public after investigating the incident. Chairperson Dahal has reiterated the commitment for justice in the incident. But we have noticed that the commitment of the political leadership is being gradually deteriorated in such cases. We urge the Government of Nepal to initiate efficient measures by paying attention to the commitment and consensus in the issues of transitional justice.
Dr. Indira Shrestha
Chairperson, INSEC
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