No evidence of ‘preplanning’ in Gaur killings: OHCHR

United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Nepal (OHCHR) has said there were not evidences to suggest that Gaur massacre, that took place on 21 March resulting in deaths of 27 individuals, was preplanned.

Disclosing the findings of the investigations into the incident OHCHR said the OHCHR was not able to substantiate allegations that the killings themselves were preplanned but this could not be ruled out.

The OHCHR has also recommended that the government should launch criminal investigation on the Gaur massacre.

OHCHR said in its report that the incident demonstrated government’s fragility of respect for rights and the capacity of the state to protect those rights.

The report said activists of the Maoist affiliated Madheshi Rastriya Mukti Morcha were armed with at least one weapon and a socket bomb while the activists of the Madheshi Janaadhikar Forum (MJF) were armed with bhaatas and bamboo sticks in the rallies.

The report also said it didn’t find any evidence of the claim that female victims of the incident were raped or mutilated. “OHCHR is concerned that the public diffusion of such allegations without proper verification only served to augment the anguish of the victims’ relatives” the report stated.

The report has confirmed the deaths of 27 individuals among which identification of one was still unknown.

Addressing a press conference on Friday, OHCHR Nepal Chief Lena Sundh stressed that the government should initiate criminal investigation into the incident. “To date, no First Information Report has been filed for these killings and to OHCHR’s knowledge criminal investigations into the killings have yet to be launched” she said.

Expressing the dissatisfaction over the government’s apathy in implementing OHCHR’s recommendations made times to times; Sundh regretted that even the findings and recommendations of the Rayamajhi Commission were not made public.