Dear Friends,
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from the Terai Human Rights Defenders Alliance (THRDA) that the local police illegally arrested and tortured 25-year-old Mr. Bikki Mehtar in order to obtain a confession regarding the murder of Ms. Asha Dev, who was found murdered on October 18. The police took Mehtar into custody without proper investigation. Incidents of police arresting innocent persons without clear evidence have been increasing in Nepal. The Nepalese police have been engaged in arresting mentally unstable, menial laborers and the poor, to implicate them in crimes committed in nearby areas.
CASE NARRATIVE:
The local police illegally arrested and tortured Mr. Bikki Mehtar (25) of Rajbiraj Municipality-6 to force him to confess to the killing of Ms. Asha Dev.
Asha was found murdered on 18 October 2018. The police took Mehtar into custody in connection with the murder of Asha Dev without any arrest warrant. Although Mehtar told the police that he was a cleaning staff at Rajbiraj Municipality, and he was innocent, the police tortured him to force him to confess to Asha Dev’s murder.
“Even when I said I am innocent, I was severely beaten up by the police to force me to confess to the killing of Asha Dev,” Mehtar said. The victim has blue marks on his body, a sign of torture. He said he was beaten 7/8 times with a plastic pipe at around 7:30 am on October 26.
The police tied his hands and legs with cloth. They put a cloth in his mouth and made him lie face up, and then they kept pouring water in his nostrils for about five minutes in an attempt to suffocate him. Mehtar was released by the police on October 27 after they were not able to force him to confess to the crime. He was later admitted to the Gajendra Narayan Singh Sagarmatha Hospital, as he had difficulty eating food and walking around.
The local villagers have become enraged after this arrest of an innocent man. They are demanding that the police officers who arrested Mehtar without valid investigation must face punishment.
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) condemns the illegal arrest and torture meted out to the victim. We urge the police to provide adequate compensation, and bear all the cost of the victim’s treatment. The office in charge and others must be suspended during the investigation, and face stringent punishment if found guilty.
SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please write letters to the following authorities, calling on them to take the necessary action against the Police Officers involved in this incident. They should be suspended immediately. A prompt and comprehensive investigation should be initiated.
The AHRC is writing a separate letter to the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, requesting his intervention in this case.
To support this case, please click here: SEND APPEAL LETTER
SAMPLE LETTER
Dear ___________,
NEPAL: Police illegally arrested and tortured innocent man
Name of victims: 25 years old Mr. Bikki Mehtar
Name of alleged perpetrators: Police Officers attached with the local police office in Rajbiraj Municipality, Province 2
Date of incident: 26 October 2018 to the present
Place of incident: Local Police Office, Rajbiraj Municipality, Province 2, Nepal
I am writing to voice my deep concern regarding the illegal arrest and torture of 25-year-old Mr. Bikki Mehtar. The police made the illegal arrest in order to obtain a confession regarding the murder of Ms. Asha Dev, who was found murdered on October 18.
Asha was found murdered on 18 October 2018. The police took Mehtar into custody in connection with the murder of Asha Dev without any arrest warrant. Although Mehtar told the police that he was a cleaning staff at Rajbiraj Municipality, and he was innocent, the police tortured him to force him to confess to Asha Dev’s murder.
“Even when I said I am innocent, I was severely beaten up by the police to force me to confess to the killing of Asha Dev,” Mehtar said. The victim has blue marks on his body, a sign of torture. He said he was beaten 7/8 times with a plastic pipe at around 7:30 am on October 26.
The police tied his hands and legs with cloth. They put a cloth in his mouth and made him lie face up, and then they kept pouring water in his nostrils for about five minutes in an attempt to suffocate him. Mehtar was released by the police on October 27 after they were not able to force him to confess to the crime. He was later admitted to the Gajendra Narayan Singh Sagarmatha Hospital, as he had difficulty eating food and walking around.
The local villagers have become enraged after this arrest of an innocent man. They are demanding that the police officers who arrested Mehtar without valid investigation must face punishment.
I condemn the illegal arrest and torture meted out to the victim. I urge the police to provide adequate compensation, and bear all the cost of the victim’s treatment. The office in charge and others must be suspended during the investigation, and face stringent punishment if found guilty.
I look forward to your prompt action in this matter.
Yours Sincerely,
……………….
PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO:
1. Mr. Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli
Prime Minister
Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers of Nepal
Singh Durbar, Kathmandu
P.O. Box: 23312
NEPAL
Tel: +977 1 4211000
Fax: +977 1 4211086
Email: info@opmcm.gov.np
2. Mr. Ram Bahadur Thapa ‘Badal’
Home Minister
Ministry of Home Affairs
Singh Durbar, Kathmandu
NEPAL
Fax: +977 1 421-1257, 421-1286
Email: gunaso@moha.gov.np
3. Mr. Anupraj Sharma
Chairperson
National Human Rights Commission
Pulchowk, Lalitpur
NEPAL
Fax: +977 1 55 47973
Tel: +977 1 5010015
E-mail: complaints@nhrcnepal.org or nhrc@nhrcnepal.org
4. Mr. Agni Prasad Kharel
Attorney General
Office of Attorney General
Ramshah Path, Kathmandu
NEPAL
Tel: +977 1 4240210, +977 1 4262548, +977 1 4262394
Fax: +977 1 4262582 / 4218051
Email: info@attorneygeneral.gov.np
5. Mr. Sarbendra Khanal
Inspector General of Police
Police Head Quarters
Naxal, Kathmandu
NEPAL
Fax: +977 1 4415593
Tel: +977 1 4412432
Email: phqigs@nepalpolice.gov.np
6. Mr. Dhiru Basnyat
DIGP
Human Rights Section
Nepal Police Headquarters, Naxal, Kathmandu
NEPAL
Tel: +977-1-4411618
Fax: +977-1-4415593
E-mail: hrcell@nepalpolice.gov.np
Thank you.
Urgent Appeals Program
Asian Human Rights Commission (ua@ahrc.asia)
