“She wants to study the allegation against Singh before she sends a proposal for his promotion to the cabinet,” the source told myrepublica.com.
The last cabinet meeting on Wednesday was supposed to approve Singh´s promotion.
Army sources said that Singh was the commander of the 10th Brigade of the Nepal Army when 49 alleged Maoists were made to disappear. The 10th Brigade includes Bhirabhnath, Mahabir and Jagdal Battalions of the Nepal Army.
Sources said Defense Minister Bhandari had one-on-one with Singh at her office on Friday. She had asked Singh about his involvement in the human rights violation in the Bharaibahnath Battalion.
In the meantime, civil society members and human rights activists have asked the government not to promote Singh to the post of lieutenant general until he is cleared of charges.
“At a time of transition to peace, good sense demands that a senior officer accused of atrocities should not be promoted unless completely cleared of the charges through a credible process,” said senior journalist Kanak Mani Dixit.
Human rights activist Sushil Pyakurel said the government should say no to promotion of the army officers having bad human rights record. “Otherwise, the government´s commitment to addressing impunity will be questioned both at national and international levels,” he said.
kiran@myrepublica.com
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