KAILALI, Aug 28: Several families in Shankarpur of Tikapur Municipality have abandoned their homes following the carnage of August 24. Those who have chosen to stay have been living in the village by forming groups either with relatives or neighbors.
The villagers are living in terror after the brutal murder of eight policemen, including SSP Laxman Neupane and a two-year-old, on August 24. Despite heavy presence of security personnel in the area, villagers are terrified and still hesitant to speak about the incident."Please do not ask us about the incident. If they can kill a senior police official so mercilessly, they can do anything to us," said a terrified local.
A team of the National Human Rights Commission visited the region on Thursday. Though the team led by Sudip Pathak, a member the commission, has launched investigation into the incident, eyewitnesses are reluctant to speak for fear of being attacked any moment.
After assuring anonymity, an eyewitness said that the hooligans, who were in hundreds, surrounded the policemen and killed them.
According to him, SSP Neupane was dragged out of his home into the courtyard and killed in cold blood. Bodyguards of APF's DSP Laxman Singh, Ramabihari Chaudhari and Nepal Police's Lokendra Chand were burnt alive near the same house. The source also informed that after Chaudhari saved DSP Singh, the latter tried to rescue SSP Neupane, but failed. DSP Singh was also murdered in cold blood.
"Chaudhari was caught by the protestors while trying to rescue SSP Neupane," informed another local. "He was begging for life, saying he too was a Tharu. But protestors killed him anyway," the speaker added.
Other two officers Balaram Bista and Keshav Bohra were chased and killed.
"Bista and Bohra had collapsed after being injured. That's when the attackers caught them and hacked them to death with a spade," informed a local. "They were pleading for their lives," he added.
DSP Singh, who survived the attack, in his statement to the Human Rights Commission team, said the attackers armed with household weapons cornered them from all sides. The officers, who were killed, had tried their best to escape but they were chased and killed. "We had no choice but to flee as we didn't have orders to open fire," said Singh.
According to DSP Singh, the attackers were apparently well-trained and were able to throw back the teargas shells fired by the police. "They used slingshots, spears, axes and spades to attack us," said Singh. The locals claimed they saw the attackers carry guns.
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