Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said that the Nirmala Pant rape and murder case has tarnished the image of Nepal in the international arena.

“The gruesome rape and murder of the 13-year-old girl is a heinous crime,” said PM Oli while addressing the Sudurpaschim Province Assembly on Wednesday. Oli said an in-depth investigation into the case is being conducted, and that the culprit(s) involved in the rape and murder of Nirmala would be brought to justice.

“The investigation has been delayed as all the evidence from the crime scene were destroyed. We cannot arrest somebody on the basis of suspicion only,” he said.

The body of Nirmala was found at a sugarcane field in Bhimdutta Municipality of Kanchanpur on July 27, 2018—a day after she was reported missing—sparking a nationwide protest and drawing condemnation against the government for its failure to find the culprits till date.

Oli, who is also the co-chairman of the ruling Nepal Communist Party, said the government would control any group that carried out anti-development and violent activities in the name of politics.

“No one can spread terror in the name of political revolution,” he said.

Stating that the people supporting monarchy are carrying out political activities in the name of religion, Oli said, “Don’t ever think about reinstating monarchy by carrying our political activities in the name of religion. ”

Oli also urged the authorities concerned to start a campaign to end Chhaupadi, a tradition that banishes menstruating girls and women to seclusion, in the far-western region.  “It is a matter of great shame that some communities in Nepal are still practicing Chhaupadi,” Oli said, instructing government authorities and people’s representatives to launch broader campaigns to endthe practice.