The Janakpur High Court has issued a letter to the District Police Office, Mahottari, to arrest Province 2 State Minister and Jaleshwor Municipality Mayor Ram Shankar Mishra, the accused in the murder of Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Thaman BK.

According to High Court Registrar Man Bahadur Karki, the court issued a letter along with the court mandamus order directing the district police to arrest the murder accused.

The District Police Office, however, said that it has not received the letter sent by the court via post office on Thursday. 

“We will abide by the order once we receive the letter,” DPO Chief SP Kuber Kadayat said, adding, “Legal action will be initiated as per the law.”

SP Kadayat, however, has been transferred and SP Ishwor Karki will take the responsibility of the District Police Office.

A Division bench of Justices Madhav Prasad Pokharel and Rabi Sharma on Tuesday had issued a letter in the name of District Police Office and its Chief to arrest the murder accused at the earliest.

State Minister Sharma and Mayor Mishra had won the elections from the ticket of Rastriya Janata Party Nepal.

Kaushal Raya, who was elected s the Province Assembly member from Mahottari constituency-4, is also a murder accused. Raya is the leader of Federal Socialist Forum Nepal.

Armed Police Force (APF) officer BK was lynched during the Madhes agitation on September 11, 2015.

The suspects had allegedly dragged the injured officer from an ambulance and murdered him while being rushed to Janakpur for treatment.

Following the incident, Thaman’s brother Prem Bahadur BK filed a complaint at the DPO, Mahottari against the 28 accused with their names.

Based on the complaint, the Mahottari District Court on March 10, 2016, ordered the police to present the arrested suspects before the court to take their statements and issued an arrest warrant against the other absconding suspects.

Thaman’s widow Shobha Gahatraj filed a writ petition at the Janakpur High Court on April 11, 2018 seeking a mandamus order as the DPO, Mahottari was reluctant to arrest the murder accused. She claimed that she filed the writ at the High Court after Mahottari police did not take any step to arrest the suspects.