The meeting also directed the government to bear all expenses needed for Dhakal´s medications and to properly compensate the victim. [break]
A group of cadres of CPN-UML´s Youth Force had brutally attacked Biratnagar-based Republica correspondent Dhakal on June 5 for publishing a news item exposing their misdeeds. A field-study conducted by the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) concluded that UML´s Youth Force´s Morang district coordinator Parshuram Basnet masterminded the attack.
The committee took up the issue as per the instruction of Speaker Subas Nembang after the FNJ, submitting a memorandum to the speaker on Sunday, demanded parliamentary probe into the attack.
All the lawmakers, who participated in the discussion over the issue, strongly criticized the government, particularly the home ministry, for failing to arrest the mastermind Parshuram Basnet.
Ramsahaya Prasad Yadav, Kamala Thapa, Renu Chand, Binda Pandey, Ramananda Mandal, Mahalaxmi Upadhyay, Radha Gyawali, Ishwari Prasad Dahal, Najir Miya, Jokh Bahadur Mahara, Lucky Sherpa, Narahari Acharya, Kiran Yadav and Santa Bahadur Nepali, among others, fiercely criticized the home ministry for the delay in arresting the assailants.
They also criticized the party leaders for providing political protection to the accused. "Based on a credible source, it is certain that Parshuram Basnet is the one who led this attack and he must be punished," Mandal of Madhesi People´s Rights Forum, who was elected from the same district, said at the committee meeting.
While some of the members were for forming a subcommittee for the purpose and entrust it with the responsibility of preparing a field-based report on the matter, other lawmakers said there was no need to further study since there was no confusion about the case.
"There are no conflicting reports. The injured Dhakal, the FNJ, the local communities and all the concerned ones have a same version about those accused ones. Therefore, the need of the hour is to immediately arrest and prosecute them and we have to direct the government for the same," Acharya of the NC said at the meeting.
Then, the committee took the decision in line with Acharya´s opinion as many lawmakers seconded his view.
Later at a parliament meeting, senior leaders from major political parties demanded action against those accused ones. Barsha Man Pun of UCPN (Maoist), Laxman Ghimire of the NC and Bhim Rawal of CPN-UML demanded that the perpetrators be punished without any delay.
"Home Minister [Krishna Bahadur] Mahara´s failure to arrest the Morang district coordinator [Basnet] of Youth Force shows the inefficiency of the home minister and the prime minister," Ghimire said at the parliament meeting.
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