KATHMANDU: The Supreme Court has ordered a formal investigation into the 2007 Gaur massacre in Rautahat, paving the way for renewed legal proceedings after years of stalled justice.
The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) stated that once the full text of the verdict is received, it will initiate necessary legal steps, including further study and investigation as outlined by the court.
According to OAG spokesperson Uddhav Prasad Pudasaini, government prosecutors will coordinate with the police to advance the probe. Based on the police report, the prosecutors are legally required to file charges in court against those found responsible.
A joint bench of Justices Til Prasad Shrestha and Nityananda Pandey issued the order on Monday, responding to a writ petition filed on June 4, 2023 by survivor Tribhuwan Sah and others. The petition demanded a thorough investigation and prosecution of those accountable for the killings.
On March 21, 2007, a violent clash broke out between cadres of the then CPN (Maoist) and the Madhesi People’s Rights Forum (MPRF) at a rice mill ground in Gaur, leaving 27 Maoist activists dead and more than 100 injured.
The National Human Rights Commission and other rights groups, after on-site monitoring, had long called for accountability, describing the massacre as a grave violation of the right to life and human rights.
With the Supreme Court’s directive, survivors and families of victims see a fresh possibility of justice in one of Nepal’s bloodiest political clashes.
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