KATHMANDU, July 12: Minister for Communication and Information Technology Gokul Baskota on Thursday said that the government was providing Rs 1 million to the family of Saroj Narayan Singh, a Sarlahi local who was killed after police open fire at protesters on June 30.

Baskota, while briefing media about the cabinet decision, said that the government would also bear the medical expense of people injured in the incident.

Singh was killed after police shot him during a clash between protesters of the Nepal Communist Party and Rastriya Janata Party Nepal over the drowning of a minor in Ishwarpur Municipality of Sarlahi district.

RJPN leaders said that police had opened fire at their cadres while their supporters were demanding compensation to family members of Amit Raya, 11, who had drowned in the local Banke River.

The incident has since created a political storm in Kathmandu. The main opposition NC and RJPN have been obstructing the parliament demanding formation of a parliamentary to investigate the police brutality.

RJPN leaders have said that the compensation alone wasn’t enough. RJPN presidium member Rajendra Mahato said the parliament would remain obstructed until a parliamentary committee is formed to investigate Singh’s death together with death of Kumar Paudel, the Sarlahi in charge of Netra Bikram Chand led Communist Party of Nepal. Although police claims that Paudel was killed during crossfire, CPN claims that he was shot death after he had been detained.

Singh’s family is the latest in a long list of people to get compensation from the state. Rs 1 million has been standard amount to compensate families of protesters in such questionable killing.
In RJPN Chairman Mahantha Thakur’s words, ‘Rs 1 million has been standard rate to compensate the loss of an innocent life’.

“It has been customary to kill innocent people and pay Rs 1 million,’’ Thakur had famously said, expressing his anger toward killing of protesters in Madhes movement in 2015.
In 2015, the government had provided Rs 1 million to several protesters killed during uprising against constitution in 2015. The family of people killed during Kailali lynching had also received the same amount in compensation.

 
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