KATHMANDU: The Advocacy Forum (AF)-Nepal has voiced deep concern over the lack of progress in the Nirmala Panta case, which remains unsolved five years after the brutal rape and murder.

In a press statement released today, AF highlighted the failure of the State to deliver justice to the victim.

They are demanding an immediate, impartial, and independent investigation into the case, emphasizing the need for the perpetrators to be punished according to the law. AF warns that the failure to hold the perpetrators accountable will only perpetuate impunity in the country.

“The AF stands united with the victim’s family, human rights defenders, and lawyers involved in the case, all of whom have been continuously seeking truth and justice,” the statement reads.

Nirmala Pant went missing on July 26, 2018, around 2:00 pm, after leaving her friend’s house, where she had gone to work on school homework. Her lifeless body was discovered the next morning in a nearby sugarcane field.

AF reminded that the National Human Rights Commission had conducted an investigation into the case and provided the government with a report in January 2019, which included four-point recommendations and 24-point directives.

Regrettably, none of these recommendations and directives have been implemented so far.