RUKUM WEST: In the aftermath of the tragic Soti incident in Rukum West, the District Court has handed down sentences to 24 individuals involved in the murders of six people, including Navraj BK.

Among those sentenced, Navraj’s girlfriend and her mother received a two-year imprisonment term along with a 50,000 rupee fine.

According to Govinda Prasad Koirala, the Information Officer at the District Court Rukum West, 23 individuals who were in pre-trial detention, along with the girlfriend’s brother—who was earlier released—have been sentenced to life imprisonment.

This ruling follows an incident from three and a half years ago, where seven individuals lost their lives due to a dispute related to an inter-caste relationship in Chaurjahari Municipality-8, Soti, Rukum West.

Judge Khadga Bahadur KC of the Rukum West District Court delivered the life imprisonment sentence, citing murder and caste-based discrimination as key aspects of the case.

Additionally, the verdict specifies that the convicts are to pay 40,000 rupees each, an amount directed to the deceased’s family. The final hearing commenced on Sunday, concluding with today’s issuance of the final order.

The tragic incident on May 23, 2020, involved 21-year-old Navraj BK from Ranagaon, Bheri Municipality-4 of Jajarkot, who, accompanied by friends, faced aggression from relatives of his girlfriend, surnamed Malla, in Sotigaon, where they intended to marry. The attack resulted in the deaths of Navraj and five others, with 12 additional individuals sustaining injuries.

Following a complaint lodged by Navraj’s father, Munlal Nepali, a case was filed against 34 individuals, including the then ward chair of Chaurjahari-8, Dambar Bahadur Malla, regarding this tragic incident.