KATHMANDU: Home Minister Sudan Gurung has said the government remains committed to maintaining peace and security while investigations into crimes including murder, violence and rape are being carried out in a systematic manner.
Responding to lawmakers’ questions during Thursday’s National Assembly of Nepal meeting, Gurung said security agencies were continuing investigations into unresolved criminal cases.
During the meeting, National Assembly member Bishnu Bahadur Bishwakarma questioned why the government had failed to deliver justice to the family of Nirmala Pant and asked when the family would finally receive justice.
In response, Gurung questioned why previous governments had not resolved the case while they were in power.
“Why was this not done when you were in government?” Gurung asked, urging lawmakers not to repeatedly raise the issue in a way that would further hurt the victim’s family.
His remarks drew objections from Bishwakarma, who said lawmakers have the right to question the government and that the minister was obligated to provide an answer.
Bishwakarma again asked Gurung to specify how many months or days it would take for Nirmala to receive justice.
Gurung declined to answer the question, saying he would not provide a response on that matter, before moving on to address questions from other lawmakers.
The murder of Nirmala Pant in Kanchanpur in 2018 remains one of Nepal’s most closely watched unresolved criminal cases, with repeated demands from rights groups and the victim’s family for justice.
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