KATHMANDU, May 28: The Defense Ministry has pensioned off Colonel Bobby Khatri, one of the army officers accused in the murder of 15-year-old Maina Sunar in 2005. Sunar´s killing is one of the grave human rights abuse cases during the conflict that had tainted Nepal Army´s human rights records at home and abroad. [break]
Defense Minister Bidhya Devi Bhandari on Thursday turned down the request of the Army Headquarters to extend Khatri´s term by two years, a highly-placed government source told myrepublica.com on Thursday.
Khatri is currently facing a murder case at Kavre District Court. The court has already issued an arrest warrant against Khatri. But the police are yet to arrest him. Khatri is currently posted at the NA Directorate of Military Intelligence.
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"It is a step on part of the government to punish the persons wanted by the police. But it is not sufficient. Now the police should arrest Khatri," said human rights activist Mandira Sharma, who has been playing an instrumental role in bringing the accused to justice.
Sunar was killed in February 2004 at NA´s Birendra Peace Operations Training Center, Kavre.
The military court had punished Khatri, along with co-accused Captain Amit Pun and Captain Sunil Adhikari. Pun and Adhikari have already quit the army service, while Khatri resumed duty after serving six-month jail term. The military court had also suspended promotion of Khatri for two years.
The Military Court had said Maina was subjected to torture in the presence of seven NA officers and men, including two captains who ordered Maina Sunar´s head submerged in water for one minute for six or seven times as instructed by Col Khatri. The NA personnel then administered electric shocks to Maina for four or five times, and the torture continued for one and a half hours. After that she was detained in a building on the premises of the training center, where she was left blindfolded and handcuffed. She later began vomiting and fizzing before she breathed her last.
Even after the court marshal, Khatri was promoted to "full colonel", which was criticized by national and international human rights community.
Following a Supreme Court order, the Office of the Attorney General on October 31, 2007, had asked the police to arrest the accused within three months. Maina´s mother, Devi Sunar, filed an FIR at Kavre District Court on December 6, 2005.
