Maoist chief apologises for Shrestha’s murder

Maoist Chief Prachanda apologised to Ramila Shrestha, the 30-year-old widow, for her husband Ramhari Shrestha’s murder.

Maoist Chief Prachanda apologised to Ramila Shrestha, the 30-year-old widow, for her husband Ramhari Shrestha’s murder.

Prachanda signed a seven-point agreement with Ramila, apologising for the murder of husband at the hands of Maoist cadres in the third division cantonment of the Maoist PLA in Chitwan.

Earlier, Ramila said the Maoists had abducted Ramhari from his house on the night of April 27, saying they were taking him away to question him in connection with the theft of Rs 1.7 million and a gun from the liaison office of the Maoists’ third division cantonment, which is located on the ground floor of Shrestha’s house.

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However, the cash and gun were recovered from the premises of the liaison office on March 30. Shrestha’s body was found floating on a river some 50 km away from the camp on May 25.

Ramila and the family “accepted” his body on Monday following Prachanda’s apology and promise to cooperate with probe into the murder.

This is for the first time that Prachanda and his party have apologised in writing for any murder or crime they have committed. He has already suspended Bibidh, commander of the third division.

Last year, the Maoists had turned down the demand of the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) to apologise for the abduction and murder of two journalists—Birendra Saha and Prakash Singh Thakuri.

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On Tuesday, Shrestha’s 11-year-old son lit the funeral pyre at Aryaghat, on the bank of Bagmati river. The scheduled demonstration and funeral procession that was planned by Shrestha’s relatives and family was called off following the agreement. Prachanda also agreed to pay Rs 2 million in compensation to the family.