According to Rawal, the home administration is taking note of all information and developments since Dr Shrestha´s abduction on May 18 from Bharatpur, Chitwan. [break]
“We have pledged full strength for the investigation and focused primarily on the safe release of the hostage,” he said.
Asked why there was no apparent impetus in investigations despite media reports indicating Maoist involvement and the investigators themselves being sure about it, he said: “As per the crime investigation guide, we need proper evidence before we intervene.”
“Working on immature cues, things could get out of control,” he told myrepublica.com in a short interview on Monday. “But I assure you nobody is above the law."
Maoists abducted Dr Shrestha after calling him away in a suspicious fashion, at around 10 p.m. Police are still devoid of any substantial clue about the doctor´s whereabouts and have not yet caught any suspect even over two weeks after the incident.
The Maoists have been criticized by the other political parties and civil society for their incoherent posture in the aftermath of the incident.
The Maoists have been venting wrath against media reporting their involvement in the case. They set fire to copies of the Republica and Nagarik dailies and also torched a vehicle carrying the newspapers after they published reports indicating their involvement.
Dr Shrestha, who was reportedly involved with the Maoists in maneuvers incongruent with his position as execute head of the renowned medical center, was abducted after he fell out with a section of the Maoists in connection with financial and administrative matters.
Arsonists to be punished: Rawal
Home Minister Rawal said he had issued a strong directive to police to take action against those who set fire to a vehicle carrying the Nagarik and Republica daily newspapers on Saturday. “This is a crime. There are ways to express discontent over news,” he said.
A group of Maoists led by YCL Chitwan member Bhanu Neupane had torched the pick-up (Ba.6.Cha 8700) at Ramnagar, Chitwan on Saturday morning, a day after both newspapers published reports indicating Maoist involvement in the abduction of Dr Shrestha.
The Maoists, in a show of utter cruelty, tried to burn driver Kishan Shrestha and his nephew alive inside the vehicle. The Maoists involved in the arson are still at large.
Sherchan panel starts work
Meanwhile, the Maoist probe committee held discussions with Dr Shrestha´s family in Chitwan on Monday. The team, led by standing committee member Amik Sherchan and including Constituent Assembly (CA) member Chitra Bahadur Shrestha and Dharma Raj Acharya, has said it will make its report public in Kathmandu after three days.
Likewise, doctors at the cancer hospital have started to conduct secret meetings. The hospital resumed all services from Monday but the doctors were busy forging a strategy to save themselves from the scope of the investigation.
Voices in parliament
CP Gajurel, the Maoist leader, said in parliament on Monday that his party was ready to help find the missing doctor. He also alleged that media have tried to defame his party and its leaders, linking them to the case.
Meanwhile, Nepali Congress leader Ram Chandra Poudel and CPN (UML) Chairman Jhala Nath Khanal demanded effective investigation of the case and uncovering of the facts.
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