KATHMANDU, March 7: A writ petition has been registered at the Supreme Court (SC) against Prime Minister and chairman of CPN (Maoist Center) Pushpa Kamal Dahal.

Addressing a program organized on the occasion of the Maghi festival in Tundikhel on January 15, 2020, Prime Minister Dahal said that he would take responsibility for only 5,000 of the 17,000 people killed in the armed war.

Kalyan Budhathoki, Vinod Sapkota, Kamala Rai Timalsena, Humraj Dawadi and others who are victims of the decade-long conflict filed a petition at the Supreme Court citing the same statement by PM Dahal as evidence. 

In a program organized on the occasion of Maghi festival in Tundikhel on January 1, 2076, Prime Minister Dahal said, “Perhaps there are more questions for me here also because I am here as the chief guest, as the leader of the party which led the fight for the identity and rights of all the oppressed castes, classes, regions and communities yesterday. Maybe, friends have put forward a lot of questions here. It's probably not possible for me to answer all of them one by one right now, but I would like to say a few things. I just want to correct the data. Friends and respected people, this is not the truth, what is the truth? Let me tell you. The truth is that yesterday's feudal kings killed 12,000 people. If you hold me responsible for 5,000 deaths, I will take that. But it is unfair to ask me to take the responsibility for the 12,000 of the 17,000 deaths. I have always said, "I am responsible for the war, I am responsible for the good and bad things that happened during the war.I don’t intend to run away from it.”

After registering the petition, talking to the media persons, petitioner Budhathoki said that two cases have been registered by 26 people. He said that during the conflict, he had registered a petition regarding heinous crimes against the law. He said, “26 people have registered two writ petitions. We have filed a writ petition against the Maoists who committed heinous crimes against the law during the conflict in the past”.

Similarly, the writ petitioner Shivkumar Budhathoki said that eight people and 17 family members of those who were killed by the Maoists have filed the two cases. “Since Prime Minister Dahal has said that he will take the responsibility for 5,000 deaths, should he not be brought to justice?” he asked. He said that the Maoists had looted all his property, and now when the head of the Maoists is the prime minister, he has filed a case demanding he return his property.

Stating that they hoped to get justice from the court, he questioned if former prime minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai, Nepal Communist Party General Secretary Netra Bikram Chand and other Maoist leaders don’t have to return the property they had stolen in the past even after reaching the peace agreement and agreeing to respect the rule of law. He also said that a person who has killed at least 5,000 people cannot become the Prime Minister of the country, adding that the victims must get justice.

He said, "Among the petitioners, there are eight people who are victims of the conflict as their property was looted and 17 people whose family members or close relatives were killed by the Maoists. Our people are among the people who PM Dahal publicly took the responsibility for having killed. They looted everything I had including my house. He (PM Dahal) has not returned my property yet. The thing is he is expected to return everything at least when he is the prime minister. I have demanded that my looted property be returned. Should he be held accountable or not for admitting that he is responsible for 5,000 deaths? This is a big question. We believe that we will get justice from the court. I am saying this also to leaders like Netra Bikram Chand and Dr Baburam Bhattarai. Shouldn't they return my property after stealing it? Can a person who has killed 5,000 people be the prime minister of the country? The victims should get justice.”

The hearing of the petition against Prime Minister Dahal has been scheduled for Thursday at 10 AM by the Supreme Court.

 
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