JMCC describes Shrestha's murder as serious breach of CPA

The Joint Monitoring Coordination Committee (JMCC), a UNMIN-led body which also comprises representatives from the Nepal Army and the Maoist People's Liberation Army (PLA), has said the murder of Ram Hari Shrestha of Koteshwor by the Maoists was serious violation of the Comprehensive Peace Accord (CPA).

A meeting of the JMCC on Thursday came to the conclusion that the Maoists violated the CPA by abducting and then torturing Shrestha to death. At the meeting, UNIMIN representatives had informed the JMCC members about the progress of probe launched by UNMIN into the incident.

According to Major Gen. Shiv Ram Pradhan of Nepal Army, a member of the JMCC, today's meeting decided to extend all kinds of help in the investigation of the murder case.

The JMCC meeting came in the wake of mounting criticism against the Maoists as well as UNMIN for its ineffective monitoring of the PLA cantonments as Shrestha was kept inside a PLA camp in Chitwan after being kidnapped from his house in Koteshwor, and was ruthlessly tortured there.

Doctors at Chitwan Medical Colleague in Bharatpur said Shrestha was admitted at the hospital in the evening of May 7, in a critical condition, and died during treatment next morning. nepalnews.com mk May 22 08