Incident Reports

Pathari area of Biratnagar tense after locals clash with police

2019-04-23

Province 1, Morang, Pathari Shanishchare

Pathari area of Morang district became tense on Tuesday after locals took to the streets, saying the police administration had failed to act despite the rise in criminal activities in Pathari Shanischare area of the district.

 Police fired three blank shots into the air to contain the situation after the agitating crowd started hurling stones at Area Police Office.

 Locals also obstructed vehicular movement, padlocked offices of Pathari Municipality and Morang Chamber of Commerce. They had staged a similar demonstration in the area on Monday.

People of Pathari resorted to protest after Bina Basnet, who owned a cosmetics and gift shop and lived in a rented room at Tribenichok in Shanischare-1, found dead under mysterious circumstances. Locals have accused the police administration of failing to conduct a serious investigation into the death.

Police had detained Kamal Nepal, a resident of Haraicha-3, in connection with the incident after Rina’s mobile phone call details showed he used to call her regularly.

The victim’s naked dead body was found outside her room on Saturday. She had returned home with her 13-year-old son at 11pm on Friday (April 19) after attending a concert at a proposed stadium.

Locals informed the police after they saw the body on the road.  

Police have been saying that they haven’t found the proof of the murder. However, the locals and her relatives have been claiming that it was a premeditated murder.

Rina’s brother-in-law Durga Bahadur Basnet has claimed that an unknown gang murdered her.

The body has been taken to BP Koirala Institute of Health and Sciences. Police said the autopsy report was yet to arrive. Rina’s husband is a migrant worker in Dubai.

A team of elected representatives led by Deputy Chief of Pathari Municipality Yamuna Bastola and former Constituent Assembly member Chandi Prasad Rai on Tuesday met Area Police Chief Kamal Bajgain.

Earlier also, 27-year-old Sadraj Tamang of Sanischare-7 in Pathari who had visited Sikka Bar in Pathari bazaar was also found dead in mysterious circumstances.

Tamang had also sustained injuries on his head and his body was found lying face down.

Likewise, Rama Baral, who had intellectual disability, was also found dead at Pipalbot Chowk in Pathari bazaar while Govinda Darnal, 25, of Sanischare-1 and another unidentified person was found dead at the Shree Jangha forest, west of Pathari Bazaar.

Also, body of a woman from Jhapa was found in a forest south-west of Jirikhimti Tole in Pathari, while body of an Indian woman, who was murdered, was discovered in Kanepokhari jungle which comes under the jurisdiction of Pathari Police.

Police have not made arrests in relation to any of the cases so far, prompting locals to take to the streets.

Pathari-Chapter of Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Lions Club of Pathari and Lions Club of Pathari-Young Hearts have submitted a memorandum to local police and municipality authorities, announcing phase-wise protest programmes.

Details and Impacts
Violent / Non-violent Violent
Onesided / Twosided Twosided
Collective / Interpersonal Collective
Primary Form Group Clash
Weapons Other
Primary Cause Issues related to legal action and access to justice
Actor 1 - Number of people 20
Actor 1 - Affiliations Citizen/Individuals
Actor 1 - Youth unknown
Actor 2 - Number of people 20
Actor 2 - Affiliation Police
Actor 2 - Youth unknown
National/Online Media

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