RAUTAHAT, Nov 12: The lawyers of murder-accused lawmaker Mohammad Aftab Alam of Nepali Congress have said that no blast had occurred in 2008 in Rautahat.

On the third day of the preliminary hearing on Monday, the lawyers of Alam, who has been accused of bomb blast and murders in 2008, told the district court that the government has created fake victims to frame Alam.

Senior advocates Sher Bahadur KC and Gopal Krishna Ghimire, and advocates Sunil Pokharel, Krishna Ghimire, Yogendra Bahadur Adhikari, among others presented their arguments before district court judge Deepak Kharel. They told the judge that no blast had occurred in Rautahat on the eve of the Constituent Assembly election. The lawyers said that Alam is innocent, and should be released on a general court appearance date.

Former minister Alam faces allegation of murdering of over a dozen people in a massive blast in Rautahat. The blast allegedly left 14 people dead and eight injured. Alam has been accused of taking the dead bodies and the blast-injured to a nearby brick kiln and throwing the bodies as well as the injured into the furnace in order to destroy any evidence of the blast.

The supporters of Alam, on Monday, staged a silent protest in Gaur – the district headquarters of Rauthat – demanding his release. The security of the area was tightened following protest from Alam's supporters.

Meanwhile, police have arrested Gauri Sankhar Ramchamar, an Indian national, who was one of the victims to record case against Alam for protection. Ramchamar was arrested by police when he was going to the court to file a written statement on behalf of Alam.

According to a source, the victim was going to record a statement on behalf of Alam after threats from his men. Ramchamar has lost both his ears, and he has burn scars on his body.

Ramchamar was about to record a written statement saying that his body was burnt in kerosene stove blast in 2010. Alam's men had also tried to change the statement of Amana Khatun, whose husband Mohammad Akhtar, had died in the blast.

Khatun has submitted the death certificate of Akhtar to the Rautahat District Police. As per the death certificate, her husband died in 2017.

 
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