ITAHARI, Sept 22: Locals of Bhutaha have allowed the authorities to conduct the autopsy of Maulana Khursid Alam, founder, and principal of Rayyan National Boarding School after the government promised to give a martyr’s status to the deceased and take care of his family members.
Shortly after Alam was killed, locals took to the streets demanding that the culprits be booked, Alam be declared a martyr and his family paid compensation. “I hope the Cabinet will announce him a martyr and provide compensation,” said the Chief District Officer Prem Prakash Uprety, adding, “A probe committee has already been formed and the home ministry will hold dialogue with the locals.”
Four armed men, who allegedly came from a neighboring Indian town on two motorcycles that had Indian license plates, had opened fire at Alam on Thursday when he was heading home for lunch riding pillion on a motorcycle after a meeting at the school. The motorcycle was driven by his relative Amin Ansari.
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Bhutaha lies some eight kilometers from the Nepal-India border.
Villagers had immediately informed the local police about the incident. Although two police personnel came to the street to block the way of the assailants, only one policeman was carrying a gun. The assailants opened fire at the police leaving one of them injured and fled. The injured policeman identified as constable Shiva Lal Puadel is currently undergoing treatment at an Itahari hospital.
Meanwhile, the locals, who were initially opposed to the idea of conducting a post-mortem examination of the deceased saying it is not an Islamic practice, however, were convinced after the local administration argued the dead body can’t be handed over without an autopsy report.
Following an agreement with the locals, the local administration has sent Alam’s body to BP Koirala Institute for Health Sciences (BPKIHS) for a postmortem.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Home Affairs has formed a five-member committee to probe Alam’s killing. The committee led by Superintendent of Police Resh Kumar Yamsu from Armed Police Force includes National Investigation Department Tulsi Prasai, Internal Affairs Minister of Province 1, Rabindra Acharya and Sunsari District Administration Office’s administrator Rajendra Pandey.
The committee is mandated to submit the report to the government within 15 days of starting the investigation.
