Laxiram Gharti, Bir Bahadur KC, Jaya Bahadur Shahi, Harilal Pun and Nirak Gharti were remanded to custody for further probe.

The Court also issued an arrest warrant order for four other accused in the case. The others involved in the killing of journalist Thapa are absconding so far. The absconding are Bam Bahadur Khadka, Bam Bahadur Khadka, Keshab Bahadur Khadka and Bhaktiram Lamichhane.

Journalist Thapa was murdered after abduction by the then rebel party’s cadres on August 11, 2004 during the insurgency period.

KATHMANDU: Despite immense pressure from rights bodies, media and opposition parties to immediately book the murder accused of Dailekh-based journalist Dekendra Raj Thapa, Nepal’s Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai has been presenting himself as a naysayer to book the former rebel cadres.

Prime Minister Dr Bhattarai said that the case of Dekendra will not be forwarded in a traditional way adding to forward the case based on the principle of transitional justice. However, journalists and rights bodies have been criticizing the government’s dillydallying to bring to book to the guilty persons at a time when the accused have admitted to burying journalist Thapa alive.

Addressing the fifth district convention of the UCPN (Maoist) Bhaktapur today, the Prime Minister also expressed displeasure to the protests of opposition parties over the issue of Dekendra’s murder case.

Alleging the opposition parties of following the single case of insurgency, the Prime Minister the NC and UML should take responsibility of killing 12,000 people in the decade long conflict.

Also addressing the program, UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ vowed to quit the government provided that CA election was ensured by June. “We are ready to sacrifice everything and we are ready to accept prime minister to anyone if next CA election was guaranteed by mid-June,” Prachanda said.