KATHMANDU: Sunday (today) marks the completion of three years of the rape and murder of Nirmala Pant.

The body of the 13-year-old was retrieved from a sugarcane farm and after the medical test, it was found that she was raped before being killed. She had gone missing while she was on the way to home from her classmate’s house after doing her school homework. But justice for the victim is denied till date.

Nirmala’s father, locals and rights activists today took out a rally at Mahendranagar Bazar, demanding justice to the victim.

Nepal Police’s Central Investigation Bureau team led by the Deputy Superintendent of Police has been investing the case for the past three years. The investigation squad is stationed at Kanchanpur. Besides, a separate team has been mobilized from the district and province levels to investigate the case.

After four weeks of the incident, one Dilip Singh Bista of Bagphanta of Bhimdutta Municipality-11 was made public by the police as an accused in the crime. The arrest of Bista, who is a mental patient, spared a public outrage and he was later released by the attorney office. His DNA did not match with the related evidences.

During the public protest, Sani Khuna from Salghari of Bhimdutta Municipality-18 lost his life. Though the case is the priority of Sudurpaschim Police and District Police Administration, it is still an ‘unsolved’.

District Police Office, Kanchanpur’s Spokesperson Deputy Superintendent of Police Siddharaj Neupane said the three teams from the central to district levels are looking into the case. “Police are responsible for bringing the guilty under the ambit of law and the justice to the victim will not be denied.” RSS