Bhandari had reached Dhankuta on February 7 to participate in a four-day training. While the brigade has tried to keep the incident under wraps till now, family members of Bhandari have claimed that he was murdered and demanded action against the culprits. [break]
“There are nail marks around his neck. There are beating injuries under his armpit, and marks on his face,” said Nan Bahadur Bhandari, elder brother of the deceased. “He was killed after being tortured. Therefore, action must be taken against the culprit,” he added.
According to Nan Bahadur, his younger brother was tortured and beaten up by trainers in the last night of the training for drinking, leading to the death.
Though the Nepal Army took the body to Dhankuta District Hospital for postmortem the same night, a postmortem was carried out at the BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences only on Saturday.
After the postmortem, NA took away his body amid heavy security. On Sunday, the body was taken to Dailekh by helicopter.
The NA barred journalists from even taking pictures. One soldier told journalists, “The culprit will face action. Why take pictures?”
The District Police Office in Dhankuta has maintained that Bhandari died in the course of training. With his body being handed over to relatives for cremation, the bereaved family is worried that justice may not be done and compensation may not be provided.
“The postmortem was conducted by an army doctor. It is likely that the report will favor the army,” said Nawaraj Subedi, brother-in-law of the deceased. “The fact must be brought to light, action must be taken against the culprits, and such incident should not be repeated,” he said.
Bhandari has joined the NA six years ago. He is survived by his 19-year-old wife and 18-month-old son.
Major Buddhi Gurung of the battalion´s Second Brigade claimed that Bhandari did not die from torture. He said Bhandari left the training camp to fetch water. But he came back drunk. His trainers thereafter tied his hands to punish him. He died from cold in the rain, Gurung said.
“After seeing that he was drunk, his trainers tied his hands to make sure that he would not shoot a gun. But it rained that night. He died from cold, and not from torture,” Gurung said, adding that the trainers made a mistake, and would face action according to the Military Act.
“There will be an investigation, and those responsible will face action according to the Military Act. Some might lose their jobs too,” he said.
Court of Inquiry formed
Meanwhile, the Nepal Army has formed a three-member Court of Inquiry under a Lieutenant Colonel to probe the death of Bhandari.
The army in a statement stated that an officer, a JCO (junior commissioned officer) and six other trainers have been taken into custody for investigation. The statement also said the accused will be brought to book and charged under 20 (63) of the Army Act.
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