Report’s Findings
THE nation has been plagued by the Maoist
insurgency for several years now. In recent times, the insurgents have mounted deadly
assaults on police posts in remote areas. Many policemen have lost their lives in such
attacks and the people have heard with horror the atrocities committed by the Maoists. One
such attack by the Maoist insurgents in recent days, took place in Dunai of Dolpa
district. In the attack that took place on the night of September 19, fourteen policemen
lost their lives and more than 50 million rupees was looted from the local bank. This was
one of the most serious attacks perpetrated by the insurgents. Moreover, Dolpa was
comparatively an unaffected area by the insurgency and Dunai happened to be the district
headquarters. So it was quite natural that the government reacted quickly and formed an
investigation committee to look how the security forces were caught off guard. Several top
level police personnel were called back to Police Headquarters and they were suspended.
The other day, the three member committee, headed by former Chief Commissioner of the
Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority, Madhusudan Gorkhali, presented its
report to Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Ram Chandra Poudel.
Considering that it was for the first time
that such a devastating attack had been made in the headquarters of a district, the
government was correct in forming the committee to investigate whether any lapses had been
made by the security forces. Even if one is to go by the statements of former Home
Minister Govinda Raj Joshi, who resigned after this incident, the insurgents had warned
that they were about to attack Dunai and added police had been sent from Kathmandu and
elsewhere. Yet, the police suffered such huge casualties and the government also lost a
huge amount of money. At a time when the country is facing this serious challenge from the
insurgents, the government must see to it that no lapses take place on the security front.
It was encouraging to hear Deputy Prime Minister Poudel saying after he received the
report, that the government would implement the suggestions put forward by the committee
after seriously studying it. No time should be wasted in improving the security situation
and it can be hoped the findings of the Gorkhali Committee will contribute significantly
in helping the government fulfil this challenging task.
Other Story
|
