(Updated with link to OHCHR-Nepal press release of December 29, 2008)
KATHMANDU, Jan 15: The ruling Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) has inducted Kali Bahadur Kham ´Bibidh´, the main accused in the murder of businessman Ram Hari Shrestha, on its Central Committee (CC).
Although the Maoists haven´t yet disclosed Kham´s name as a CC member, a Maoist source told myrepublica.com that the party, under its recent initiative to unify with the Communist Party of Nepal (Unity Center-Masal), withdrew all disciplinary action against Kham and included him in the expanded 106-member committee. The Maoists, following their unification with Unity Center-Masal, have a total of 175 Central Committee members.
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Confirming Kham´s inclusion in the restructured CC following Maoist´s unification with Masal, senior Maoist leader CP Gajurel told myrepublica.com that Kham got the berth in the new committee by virtue of his membership in the party´s CC in 2005. The Maoist´s crucial meeting in Chunabang of Rolpa district had reduced the number of CC members from 95 to 35.
"Reinstating party´s CC members is one thing and the party´s disciplinary action against Kham is quite another," said Gajurel. [break]
Kham, a commander of the People´s Liberation Army (PLA) at Shaktikhor cantonment, Chitwan had ordered the abduction of businessman Shrestha from Koteshwar in May 2008. Shrestha later died due to torture meted out by PLA men at the cantonment.
In the wake of Shrestha´s murder, the Maoists handed over two Maoist cadres to police and claimed that Kham was “still at large”. Following the murder, as outrage against the Maoists swelled in the streets, Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal (now the Prime Minister) met with Ram Hari’s wife Ramila and brother Gyan Kumar Shrestha to assure them that his party would probe the incident and take action against the guilty. Ramila has even named Kham as prime accused in public.
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Although the Home Ministry has claimed that police have been on the lookout for Kham, a recent report issued by the UN Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights in Nepal said Kham is still in Shaktikhor cantonment. It further said the Maoist leadership ignored its request for a meeting with Kham.
Media reports had said that Kham had met Defense Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa on October 22 during the latter´s visit to Chitwan. Local media in Chitwan had confirmed the meeting. They claimed to have noticed Kham meeting the defense minister.
The main opposition party, Nepali Congress, had sought clarifications from Defense Minister Thapa over the issue. Thapa has all along refuted claims that he had met Kham.
Kali Bahadur Kham: Between Ram Hari murder and Maoist CC
• On May 18 last year, Maoist party´s chairman Dahal (prime minister since August 18) had admitted that "some selfish elements" murdered Shrestha who had prior link with the Maoists.
• Shrestha was severely tortured in Shaktikhor cantonment site of the Maoists´ People’s Liberation Army and succumbed to his injuries in a hospital in Bharatpur, Chitwan. Kham, commander of the PLA’s Third Division, had rented a flat in Shrestha´s house, and abducted Shrestha following a dispute over missing of a personal weapon and some money.
• On May 22 Maoists formed an internal probe panel headed by Posta Bahadur Bogati to probe the murder. The panel comprising Hit Raj Pandey and Ekraj Bhandari confirmed Kham’s hand in the murder but the panel did make the report public.
• On May 24 PLA Deputy Commander Janardan Sharma said PLA "suspended" its Third Division Commander Kham for being allegedly responsible for the abduction, torture and subsequent killing Shrestha inside a Maoist cantonment.
• On July 16, a judicial probe committee headed by former Supreme Court Justice Rajendra Bhandari submitted report to the then Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, recommending legal action against nine Maoist cadres, including Kham, brigade commander Govinda Bahadur Batala, combatants Keshav Adhikari and Ganga Ram Thapa.
• Kham met Defense Minister Thapa at the Chitwan District Administration Office on October 26 and has been serving as commander of the Shaktikhor cantonment site though Maoists claim he was suspended. Thapa denied meeting Kham even though media reports gave ample proof of the meeting.
• On Nov 10, Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Bam Dev Gautam said the government has been searching for other six suspects including Kham.
• In the Maoists’ national convention that began on November 21, Kham was active participant.
• On January 12, 2009, Kham was appointed the Central Committee member of the party.
ghanashyam@myrepublica.com, tilak@myrepublica.com & yuvraj@myrepublica.com
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