On April 30, 2012, a bomb exploded amid a group of demonstrators at Ramananda chowk in the heart of Janakpur killing five people, including a woman. More than two dozen people had sustained injuries in the blast. Some of them are still undergoing medical treatment. [break]
The demonstrators from Mithila State Struggle Committee (MSSC) were staging a peaceful sit-in demanding an autonomous Mithila state in the new federal setup.
The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) had arrested four suspects -- Ripendra Jha, Mukesh Kumar Karna, Suresh Karna and Jaya Prakash Chaudhary-- within three weeks of the incident. During the press conference, DIG Upendra Kanta Aryal had assured of arresting Mukesh Chaudhary, Arjun Singh and Santosh Chaudhary alias Prakash Bidhyarathi, who had masterminded the incident, within a month.
But the injured are disappointed as the local authorities have not arrested the main suspects so far.
Ram Kumar Sharan, whose father Bimal Sharan had lost his life in the bombing, bemoaned the government´s inability to nab the main suspects. He also said, “Many families feel helpless after the loss of their family members in the blast. The government should have dealt the incident with due seriousness.”
On the anniversary of the Janakpur blast on Wednesday, MSSC had paid tributes to the victims who lost their lives in the blast.
Though the event attracted a few participants, high security arrangements had been made. “The participation of people was not as expected due to fear that a similar incident might occur,” said Parmeshwor Kapadi, president of MSSC.
He also went on to say that the government has failed to provide justice to the victims. “We have been pressuring the local authorities for the last one year. But the government is yet to seriously probe the incident,” added Kapadi.
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