KATHMANDU, Feb 21: Nirmala's mother Durga Devi has been closely watching the rape and murder case of Bhagarathi Bhatta. 'The accused denied attempts to rape, but he later confessed to the crime'. Subsequently, Bhagarathi's brother Shankar Bhatta filed a case against the suspect-- a minor. The investigation is on the right track it seems, she said, while adding that she is, however, hopeless about justice for her daughter Nirmala Panta, who was raped and murdered in 2018, 'as the government has not taken her complaint seriously'.

KATHMANDU, Feb 17: Police have arrested a youth allegedly involved in the rape and murder of a teenager Bhagarathi Bhatta in Baitadi district.

PURVI CHAMPARAN, Feb 12: A high-level investigation has been launched into the murder of a 13-year-old Nepali girl in Kundawa Chainpur Bazar of East Champaran, an Indian district bordering Nepal. A special investigation team formed by the East Champaran District Police Office, under the leadership of Deputy Superintendent of Police Shivendra Kumar Anubhavi, on Thursday conducted a special investigation into the area where the incident took place.

The swab sample has been sent to the National Forensic Science Laboratory for investigation, said Janak Dhami, the spokesman for the District Police Office, Baitadi.

KATHMANDU, Feb 7: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has begun inspection of the rape and murder case of Bhagrathi Bhatta in Baitadi.

KATHMANDU, Nov 26: The United Nations has urged all relevant authorities to urgently follow due process and ensure that the perpetrator behind the rape and murder of a minor in Bardibas, Mahottari is held accountable.

LAHAN, Nov 24: The dead body of a six-year-old girl, who was kidnapped from Bardibas-14 of Mahottari district, was found on Monday evening.

KATHMANDU, Feb 11: Monday was just another day for Nirmala Panta’s mother Durga Devi. She was preparing to come home from work (she is a peon at the Bhimdutta Municipality office) when some media persons came to her and asked if she knew that police headquarters has scrapped the report of the investigations led by AIG Dhiru Basnet into the rape and murder of her daughter.

Nirmala Panta’s rape and murder must have been the only case that agitated the whole nation for justice in recent years, which brought people from various walks of life to the street protests, which dominated media landscape and which attracted attention of the international community.

KATHMANDU, July 26: Nepal Student Union, the student wing of the Nepali Congress, held a demonstration at Maitighar Mandal in the capital on Friday to exert pressure on the government to take action against the perpetrator who brutally raped and murdered Nirmala Panta last year.

KATHMANDU, July 26: Durga Devi Panta has said that she is hopeful the perpetrators of her daughter's rape and murder will be brought to justice despite disappointment over the lack of progress so far in the investigations.

KANCHANPUR, Dec 20: Police have intentionally delayed publicizing the DNA test reports of two prime suspects, one of whom has reportedly confessed to the rape and murder of Nirmala Panta because the reports “do not match” with the crime scene evidences.

KANCHANPUR, Dec 19: Durgadevi Panta, mother of the 13-year-old rape and murder victim Nirmala Panta of Bhimdatta Municipality, has filed a complaint against eight police personnel on Tuesday accusing them of destroying evidences.

KATHMANDU, Dec 7: Police on Thursday briefly detained 12 protestors who were trying to stage a demonstration in front of the official residence of President Bidya Bhandari in Maharajgunj, Kathmandu, demanding justice for the rape and murder victim Nirmala Panta. All the protestors were released later in the afternoon.

KATHMANDU, Dec 3: A group of youth has started pasting what they call ‘Nirmala stickers’ on their bags, jackets, bikes and cars in a bid to press for their demand for justice to rape and murder victim Nirmala Panta.

DHANGADHI, Dec 3: Crusader for medical sector reforms Dr. Govinda KC has demanded that criminal lawsuit be brought against those involved in destroying evidences from the site where rape and murder victim Nirmala Panta’s body was found. He said such action would help track down the real culprit(s) involved in the rape and murder.

The week in pictures November 25 - December 1.

KATHMANDU, Nov 30: Visiting UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women, its Causes and Consequences, Dubravka Simonovic, said the rape and murder of 13-year old Nirmala Panta is a test case for the Nepal government.

KANCHANPUR, Nov 17: The DNA samples of four more suspects do not matched the sample taken from 13-year-old rape and murder victim Nirmala Pant.

KATHMANDU, Nov 2:The women's group of Naya Shakti-Nepal organized a rally urging the government to arrest the culprit(s) involved in the rape and murder of 13 year old Nirmala Panta.

KANCHANPUR, Nov 2: Friday marks the 100th day of teenage Nirmala Pant's rape and subsequent murder. Despite the change in the leadership of Kanchanpur police, formation of multiple probe committees and protests from all quarters to create pressure for prompt delivery of justice, Nirmala's case remains an unsolved mystery with zero progress in the investigation.

MAHOTTARI, Oct 23: A man accused of raping and murdering an eight-month-old child in Mahottari district around two months ago has finally been arrested last week.

DHANUSA, Oct 15: Attorney General Agni Prasad Kharel has directed the police department to file a case seeking life imprisonment to the men arrested for raping and murdering 10-year-old girl Manika Yadav along with confiscation of all property.

BHIMDATTANAGAR, Oct 13: A committee formed to investigate the role and work execution of the then police officers and employees of the District Police Office, Kanchanpur assigned to handle the case relating to the rape and murder of Nirmala Panta of Kholti of Bhimdattanagar-2 continues its works.

KATHMANDU, Oct 11: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has directed the government to keep safe the evidence on Nirmala rape and murder case. The sample of 'vaginal swab' extracted from the late Pant for the investigation at Nepal Police's forensic laboratory must be kept safe, the NHRC underscored.

KATHMANDU, Oct 8: A report of the high-level committee formed to look into the investigation of the rape and murder of Nirmala Panta has found serious “lapses” and “negligence” on part of the police in dealing with the case and booking the perpetrators on time.

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KATHMANDU, Oct 4: Minister for Home Affairs Ram Bahadur Thapa has expressed commitment to take action against the guilty of Nirmala Panta rape and murder case within a week.

KATHMANDU, Sept 30: A group of civilians on Saturday gathered spontaneously at Maitighar Mandala to stage a protest demanding that the report of the high-level probe committee on the rape and murder case of Nirmala Panta be made public. They also demanded the government to book perpetrators immediately.

MAHENDRANAGAR, Sept 30: Women's rights activists in Mahendranagar have begun a sit-in protest demanding that the government make public a report prepared by a high-level commission investigating the rape and murder of Nirmala Panta.

KATHMANDU, Sept 27: Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa today committed to bringing the murderer(s) of 13-year-old Nirmala Panta of Kanchanpur who was raped and murdered, to justice.

KANCHANPUR, Sept 25: The high-level committee formed to probe Nirmala Panta rape and murder case is set to present its report to Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa on Tuesday.

KATHMANDU, Sept 22: The Nepal Women Association (NWA) has decided to hold protest program across the country tomorrow, Sunday against growing cases of women violence in the country.

KATHMANDU, Sept 16: Thousands of civilians took to the streets in major cities across the country on Saturday to exert pressure on the government to conduct an impartial investigation in the rape and murder case of Nirmala Panta, a thirteen-year-old girl of Mahendranagar.

JAJARKOT, Sept 15: Jajarkot locals lit candles at Thanti Bazaar of the district in a symbolic protest against Nirmala rape and murder incident on Saturday, September 15, 2018.

KATHMANDU, Sept 15: In an attempt to exert pressure on the government to book those guilty in the rape and murder of Nirmala Panta of Kanchanpur, civil society members are organizing protest demonstrations across the country on Saturday.

KATHMANDU, Sept 15: While reiterating his commitment to do all to punish those involved in the rape and murder of Nirmala Panta, Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa has appealed to all for cooperation in the ongoing investigations.

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KANCHANPUR, Sept 5: Family members of Dilip Singh Bista, the alleged perpetrator of Nirmala Panta's rape and murder have accused the police of giving extreme torture to Bista.

KATHMANDU, Sept 3: A group of artists protested against the rape and murder of the 13-year-old Nirmala Panta at Maitighar Mandala on Tuesday. According to the police report, Nirmala, a resident of Kanchanpur, was brutally raped and eventually murdered. Several nation-wide protests are being organized demanding for justice to Nirmala.

BHIMDUTTANAGAR, Aug 30: The judicial custody of Roshani Bam and Babita Bam, taken into custody for investigation into the rape and murder of Nirmala Pant, has been extended by a week.

KATHMANDU, Aug 25: Communist Party of Nepal (CPN) has demanded the government to investigate the Kanchanpur murder case fairly and bring to book the culprit.

BHIMDUTTANAGAR, Aug 25: An all party meeting was held here this morning in an effort to normalize the situation that has become tense as a result of the ongoing agitation following the rape and murder of 13-year-old Nirmala Pant.

KANCHANPUR, Aug 25: The high-level task force formed to investigate the rape and murder of 13-year-old Nirmala Pant has begun its work since Friday.

KATHMANDU, Aug 25: Top political leaders have remained conspicuously silent over the increasing cases of rape and murder of girls in various parts of the country.

KANCHANPUR, Aug 25: A 17-year-old boy was killed and others injured on Friday after police opened fire at protesters demanding justice for rape and murder victim Nirmala Panta.