The Truth and Reconciliation Commission has started soliciting suggestions and support from professionals from diverse fields for initiating investigation into the complaints received from conflict victims.

In separate meetings with legal experts, academics, social scientists, medical and engineering professionals on Tuesday, the commission discussed about probe teams, the investigation procedure, evidence collection, final report writing and recommendations. TRC Chairman Surya Kiran Gurung said the commission held the first round of meeting with the professionals. “The meetings with representatives of professional organisations will continue as we begin investigation,” said Gurung.

The TRC is mandated to look into the conflict-era cases, recommend action against the perpetrators of serious rights violations, provide reparations and initiate reconciliation. The commission is also tasked with finding out the root cause of the conflict and suggesting ways to prevent violent conflicts in future.

The commission has received 57,531 complaints, which are expected to rise by a couple of thousands as they are coming in by post from remote districts. It has less than three months to probe the cases.

As per the law, the commission’s mandate can be extended by one year. The commission has been functioning with one-third of its required staff, while the government has not released funds for setting up temporary bases in seven provinces.

“The idea of temporary bases is to form investigation teams at the local level involving local experts with possible extension of the offices at the district level to expedite investigation,” said Gurung.

The commission has proposed a 17-member investigation team in each province. The panel will have three investigation officers led by a joint attorney general. One of the investigation officers will be a local expert, said Gurung. “We have received valuable suggestions to be incorporated into the process.”