Three Nepal Police personnel, including an Inspector, have been suspended over the custody death of a Dalit youth in Rautahat.

Following continued protests by friends and relatives of Bijay Mahara of Garuda Municipality in the district, who died after allegedly being tortured by police in custody, the Ministry of Home Affairs suspended Inspector Nabin Kumar Singh of the District Police Office, Gaur. While the Janakpur Police Office suspended the two constables—Feroz Miya Dhuniya and Mannu Kumar Singh— for their alleged involvement in the incident.

All of them have been suspended for six months starting Monday.

DSP Ansu Singh, Spokesperson at the Province 2 Police Office, informed that a secretary-level meeting of the Home Ministry on August 31 decided to suspend inspector Singh pending further investigation into the incident as per Rule 115 (4) of the Police Regulation 2014.

Bijay and six others were arrested on August 19 in connection to the death of 17-year-old Niranjan Ram in Garuda Municipality. Nineteen-year-old Bijay died on August 26 and his family members have claimed that he was tortured in custody.

Police have been saying that Bijay died in the course of treatment for a kidney ailment.

However, a video of Bijay, which was taken in hospital prior to his death, shows him saying that he was indeed tortured by plainclothes police and forced to confess to the August 16 murder of Niranjan.