Resham Chaudhary demands high-level commission to probe into Tikapur incident

Kathmandu: Former lawmaker Resham Chaudhary has been released from prison after receiving amnesty from the president on the occasion of Republic Day.

Chaudhary was convicted in the Tikapur incident and sentenced to life imprisonment. Along with Chaudhary, the remaining prison sentences of 482 people, including seven senior citizens, have been pardoned by president Ram Chandra Poudel on the occasion of the Republic Day on May 29.

Following the release from prison, Chaudhary has demanded the formation of a high-level commission to probe into Tikapur incident. ‘A high-level commission should be formed to examine the Tikapur incident in depth, he said, ‘ The incident is still misleading many people.’

‘The Tikapur incident is a purely political incident. Nepali political parties could not recognize this in time,’ he further said, ‘However, the incident was unfortunate. The incident was against the will of the people of Tikapur . Media reports about the complete involvement of Tharu people was not true.’

Chaudhary also said that the Tikapur incident was mysterious. ‘There are some things that cannot be expressed even if you want,’ he said, ‘After the incident, most of the Tharu friends joined me. I was in touch with my political friends. This is a serious and mysterious incident. But the state did not pay attention to resolve it.’

The Tikapur incident took place on 24 August 2015, leading to the brutal killing of seven police officers and a two-year-old baby. On March 7, 2019, Kailali District Court sentenced 11 people, including Chaudhary to life in prison for their roles in orchestrating and carrying out the massacre.