In yet another case of extrajudicial killing, the National Human Rights Commission has implicated four police officials for killing two alleged abductors in Bhaktapur after taking them into custody.

The commission has concluded that a police team led by Deputy Superintendent Rugam Bahadur Kunwar arrested Gopal Tamang, 23, of Sindhupalchowk and Ajay Tamang, 24, from Nuwakot and shot them dead at Doleshwor jungle in Surya Binayak, Bhaktapur on August 6, 2018. The police had claimed that they were killed in “a police encounter” as they had fired at them in retaliation after the duo tried to attack them while on duty searching for Nishan Khadka, 11, abducted from Khadaghari.

Khadka was found buried in a pit dug for laying the foundation of an under-construction house belonging to Shyam Rawat of Madhyapur Thimi the same day the two were killed.

The commission has concluded that along with Kunwar, Sub Inspectors Dipendra Chanda, Prashnna Malla and Ranjit Tamang and Assistant Sub Inspector Rajan Khadka were involved in the killing. The commission said it had recommended that the government book the police officials on criminal charges.

According Bed Bhattarai, secretary and spokesperson for the commission, a team under the coordination of Tahir Ali Ansari, a former justice at the Supreme Court, consisting of Bigyan Raj Sharma, a former additional inspector general and Dr Harihari Osti, a forensic expert, had been formed to conduct a detailed investigation into the case.

“With the support of the Ansari-led team, the commission concluded that Tamang duo were killed after they were arrested and the police tried to project the incident as an encounter,” he said.

The commission has also recommended Rs 300,000 in compensation to Khadka’s family and Rs 100,000 each to the family of Ajay and Gopal.

Last year, the commission’s investigation had found that Kumar Paudel, Sarlahi district in-charge of the Netra Bikram Chand-led Communist Party of Nepal, too was killed extrajudicially. Though police had claimed he died in a police action on June 20, 2019 in Lalbandi, Sarlahi district, the commission had found a police team led by Inspector Krishnadev Prasad Sah had killed Paudel.

Although the commission had recommended legal actions against Sah and senior constables Binod Sah and Satya Narayan Mishra, the government has ignored it.