Nepal Police has written to Speaker Dev Raj Ghimire for the second time requesting for his support to arrest CPN-UML lawmaker Laxmi Mahato Koiri, who has been absconding for months.

Koiri is facing a murder charge.

According to the spokesperson of the Federal Parliament Ekaram Giri, the Parliament Secretariat has received a letter addressed to the Speaker from the office of the Inspector General of Police, Nepal Police Headquarters on the issue.

This is the second time Nepal Police has written to the Speaker regarding the case.

Earlier, on January 20, former deputy prime minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane had also directed Nepal Police Headquarters to arrest UML lawmaker Koiri.

Despite being on the police’s wanted list, Koiri attended the House meeting on January 10 and voted in favour of a trust motion tabled by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal. Before that, he had also attended the oath-taking ceremony of new lawmakers elected through November 20 polls.

Koiri, who was elected to the House of Representatives from Mahottari-1 in November last year, has been accused of murdering Assistant Sub Inspector Thaman Bishwakarma during the Madhesh protest.

Koiri is accused of dragging the policeman from a police van and killing him on September 11, 2015. The Dhanusha District Court had released Koiri on a bail of Rs100,000. But the Janakpur High Court, overturning the decision of the district court, had issued an arrest warrant against him.

According to officials at the Secretariat of Federal Parliament, Koiri will now be suspended as per Rule 248(3) of the House of Representatives Regulation 2023.