Relatives and supporters of two men detained by police in the Nirmala Pant case on Wednesday demonstrated in front of the District Administration Office demanding their immediate release.

The demonstrators shouted slogans proclaiming the innocence of detainees Pradip Rawal and Bishal Chaudhary and insisted they had no role in the rape and murder of the 13-year-old girl.

Police plan to release Bishal, as his DNA test did not match the vaginal swab of the victim.  Relatives and the locals staged demonstrations demanding to free both men.

“Both Pradip and Bishal are innocent. It is not good to release one and keep another in the custody. We demand the authorities to free them,” said Krishna Bahadur Rawal, uncle of Pradip.

Police arrested Pradip in Kathmandu while Bishal was nabbed from Mahendranagar on December 6. Both residents of Bhimdutta Municipality-18 in Kanchanpur are now in police custody in Kathmandu.

The District Wednesday contacted Bir Bahadur Chaudhary and urged him to go to Kathmandu to receive his son. However, Bir Bahadur refused to go to Kathmandu and demanded that his son should be released from Mahendranagar.

“Police called me today (Wednesday) morning and informed me to reach Kathmandu by airplane and return the same day in the evening. However, I refused.

I told them that I would receive my son here (Mahendranagar),” Bir Bahadur told the Post.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Krishna Raj Ojha admitted informing

Bir Bahadur to go to Kathmandu. Bishal will be brought here and handed over to the family as his father refused to go to Kathmandu, said DSP Ojha.

DNA report confusion

Although reports say the DNA test of Pradip and Bishal did not match the vaginal swab of the teenager, the Kanchanpur police said it had no knowledge about it.

“We have not received any report so far. News of sending the DNA report to Kanchanpur is just a rumour,” said DSP Ojha. However, SP Uttam Raj Subedi told the Post that the police headquarters had already sent the DNA report to Kanchanpur police.