Opposition cry foul in death of Minister’s secretary, urge parliamentary investigation

Hetauda, February 27 — Opposition parties have demanded a parliamentary investigation into the death of Rabi Thapa, the personal secretary of the Minister for Poverty Alleviation, Madhu Kumar Shrestha, under the Bagmati Province government.

The demand for an investigation has been raised by Ratna Prasad Dhakal, the chief whip of the CPN (Maoist Center) parliamentary party in Bagmati Province, Basanta Prasad Manandhar of the CPN (Unified Socialist), and Kumari Tamang, the chief whip of the Rashtriya Prajatantra Party parliamentary party.

After the death of Rabi Thapa, police found a suicide note, which was purportedly written by the deceased, and an audio recording related to cooperatives, in which the names of Minister Shrestha and other leaders were implicated.

The reports and circumstances have raised doubts, suggesting that the suicide may have been influenced by coercive factors.

"Therefore, it is essential that this incident be thoroughly investigated from all angles," the three parties said in a joint statement.

They have also demanded that Minister Shrestha resign to create a fair environment for the investigation.

The opposition parties have called for the formation of a parliamentary investigation committee at the provincial level to bring the truth to light and have asked for the provincial assembly to convene a meeting to discuss the issue.