National Human Rights Commission Unable to Identify Gunmen in Janji Protest

Kathmandu. The National Human Rights Commission has stated that it could not ascertain who fired shots during the Janji protest held on Bhadra 23 and 24 last year.  

Speaking at a program organized at the party central office of the Nepali Congress, the coordinator of the 'Bhadra 23 and 24 Protest Investigation Committee' formed by the commission, commission member Dr. Lily Thapa, clarified that it could not be ascertained who fired the shots or where the bullets came from.  

She clarified that excessive force was used during the protest. The commission has found technical facts based on ballistic and forensic reports about the caliber of bullets used, but identifying the person who fired the shots has been a challenge.  

The forensic report obtained during the investigation was analyzed by the commission through its own expert Dr. Harihar Basti. According to him, most of the bullets that hit the protesters were found in the chest and upper abdomen.  

Although the Special Task Force (STF) was deployed in the front line and shots appeared to have been fired from the Parliament building area, it could not be ascertained which bullet was fired by whom. However, the commission has concluded that the bullets were fired from within the protesters' cordon.  

The report has pointed out serious errors by the security forces. The commission has determined that the universal principle and established legal doctrine of security mechanisms, which dictates that shots should be fired below the knee when force must be used in any special circumstance, was not followed. –