- Related news: Civilian team´s report on missing doctor slammed
It now appears that Dr Shrestha was abducted over differences with party general secretary Ram Bahadur Thapa and the former´s financial dealings with the party. Dr Shrestha, who was appointed executive director by the then Maoist-led government and has been associated with the party since insurgency, had just two months remaining in his tenure. [break]
Thapa, according to sources, wanted his man to succeed Dr Shrestha but his term was likely to be extended as he has strong hold over the hospital board of directors and the Health Ministry cannot overrule the recommendation by the board according to regulations.
A police source said that the hospital was in the process of buying a machine worth Rs 220 million and speculated that this could be one of the reasons why Dr Shrestha landed in trouble.
He also differed with General Secretary Thapa over hospital matters and his differences with Thapa´s associate, who works in the hospital, were deepening.
There were also problems regarding the amount he collected as donations for the party during its nation-wide strike in early May and also the sum he had promised to pay for being appointed the executive director.
Dr Shrestha´s wife Sheelu had confided with the civilian investigation team formed by the Nepal Medical Association (NMA) on Monday that the family was willing to make any kind of sacrifice for his safe release.
"We are ready to make any sort of payment and I promise he will also resign from his post after being released and return to live in Kathmandu," a member of the team quoted her as saying.
Dr Shrestha´s family has also met Ram Bahadur Thapa and YCL Chief Ganesh Man Pun on Wednesday with help from Hisila Yami to discuss the issue.
Maoists form high level probe committee
Meanwhile, the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) has formed a high level committee to probe the case of Dr Shrestha Thursday. The three-member committee led by standing committee member Amik Sherchan has Constituent Assembly (CA) member Chitra Bahadur Shrestha and advocate Dharma Acharya as members.
"We cannot even imagine that Dr Shrestha has been abducted by Maoists now. But we will thoroughly investigate into the matter and I assure you that we would reveal the guilty whoever they may be," Sherchan told Republica.
Synopsis of the case
Dr Shrestha has been missing since May 18 when he drove out of Chitwan Hospital at Chaubish Kothi, Bharatpur in his car for his quarter at 10:15 in the night after a surgery.
But there have been doubts that he may have been hoaxed into the hospital and the report of civilian investigation team has demanded a comprehensive investigation into who requested Dr Shrestha for surgery at 9 pm on May 18 and who was operated upon, or whether any patient was operated at all.
Dr Shrestha´s going missing was first reported to the Maoists´ Chitwan district in-charge Anil Birahi and not to police. Birahi informed police about Dr Shrestha´s case only at 2:30 in the morning -- some four hours after he was called by legal officer of the cancer hospital Gokarna Sapkota, who was requested by panicking wife Sheelu to tell the police. Birahi had also asked Sapkota not to call police and he himself would inform them later.
Dr Shrestha had come to Kathmandu on May 16 with his driver Krishna Bahadur Thapa and accountant Pitambar Upadhyay on hospital business and he got permission for additional 200 beds from the Health Ministry. He also withdrew Rs 1.15 million from Employees´ Provident Fund in Thamel, Kathmandu a day before he went missing
The three had come to Kathmandu on the cancer hospital´s car that Dr Shrestha was using but Dr Shrestha had asked his accountant to stay in the car driven by his driver while he himself drove the new Hyundai Tucson they had bought in Kathmandu for the hospital while returning to Chitwan on May 17. The two vehicles were going together till Dr Shrestha suddenly stopped his vehicle at Mahadev Besi and the driver and the accountant had to wait for the doctor for 20 minutes at Malekhu.
His car was recovered in Pokhara while his briefcase was recovered from a house at Darechowk Village Development Committee (VDC) near Ghoptebhir along the Narayanghat-Mungling road on Saturday. The briefcase was found by some youths near the bank of the Trishuli River and taken to home.
Earlier in 2008, the Maoists had abducted Kathmandu businessman Ram Hari Shrestha and torutured him for days at Shaktikhor cantonments before killing him over money matters. Kali Bahadur Kham, current central committee member of the party masterminded the incident. Govinda Batala, Maoist brigade vice commander, is currently in jail.
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