Sunil Gaire of Narethanti-3, who was studying at the US Academy and staying at the hostel, went missing in the river on February 12.[break]
Trinkle Hostel in Baglung-2 will pay Rs 800,000 as compensation money to the family of the missing boy, waive dues of around Rs 70,000 and bear the costs of rescue efforts amounting to around Rs 200,000.
The sixth-grader had gone with a teacher to the river near Nirnayghat in Baglung-1 for a bath Saturday and he entered the water trying to retrieve a bag that got washed away. The missing boy has yet to be found.
"The hostel agreed to pay the compensation as the boy went missing because of their [hostel authorities´] negligence," said Anil Gaire, a relative of the boy. Gaire said that a memorial trust will be formed in the boy´s name and the money will be used for the education of his brother.
Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Uma Prasad Chaturvedi said there is no legal provision for paying such a hefty compensation, the maximum penalty being a 20-year jail sentence on a murder charge. "But the parties can arrive at a mutual agreement," DSP Chaturvedi added.
The boy´s father, Dadhi Ram, who was working in Japan, returned home following the news of his son, while his mother Kalika has yet to regain full consciousness. There is little chance of finding the boy.
"We have tried everything possible with Nepali resources but to no avail. We even tried to bring divers from Bangladesh as there are no professional divers here who can carry out rescue work using oxygen cylinders, but they refused to come, considering the nature of the incident," Chaturvedi disclosed. The fact that the river is very deep at the site of the incident has hindered rescue efforts but the rescue work will continue, Chaturvedi assured.
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