The case of rape and murder of Nirmala Panta took a new twist after
DNA of the suspended SP Dilli Raj Bista, his son Kiran and Aayush Bista, nephew of Mayor of Bhimdutta municipality Surendra Bista has not matched with samples collected from Nirmala's body.
This has raised questions as to who were involved in the incident and who the police wanted to save by destroying evidence. Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa himself has conceded that evidence was destroyed and the police were negligent in investigation.
Responding to queries of lawmakers in the meeting of State Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives (HoR) on Wednesday, Thapa revealed that the clothes worn by Nirmala were burnt and thumbprint of her father was forged in the field report prepared by the police.
"There are blunders by the police in investigation. The clothes she wore have been taken off and burnt," he said. "Another thing, her body was found on July 27 and the field report prepared on the same day has her father's thumbprint. But her father had come to Nepal from India only on July 28."
Nirmala's mother Durga Panta said the family suspects involvement of police as they destroyed evidence and added that the recent DNA reports have raised new questions. "I have just heard that DNA of the three did not match that of the vaginal swab. Police destroyed the evidence at the beginning. They washed the clothes and did not even seal the crime scene. They did not pay attention even when we complained," Durga told Setopati over the phone from Kanchanpur.
"If the three are not guilty, police must say to save whom they destroyed the evidence. They would know and must reveal that."
She stated that the assurance of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli while in Kathmandu had given her some hope but that is gradually disappearing now. "Women here are supporting us. They are staging sit-in. We will fight until my daughter gets justice," she said.
Locals, meanwhile, have complained that the police are harassing locals in the name of investigation.
Rights activist Sharada Chand said the police are nabbing the locals treating them as criminals instead of investigating the Bam sisters. "The police have started to harass people by going to places Nirmala visited a year ago. What kind of investigation is this?" she asked. "The PM sent us back 15 days ago assuring that we should not be disappointed. But the police have made it untenable for us in the district. They are harassing everyone in the name of investigation."
She revealed that the police are harassing even the carpenters and contractors who Nirmala's father hired to construct the house six years ago.
Chief of Kanchanpur Police SP Kuver Bahadur Kadayat said the case is being investigated and people are being questioned in course of investigation. "Kanchapur Police is investigating the case. The Central Investigation Bureau is assisting technically. The facts about the incident will be revealed," SP Kadayat said.
