Dekendra Thapa


Dekendra Thapa was a Nepali journalist. He was killed by Maoist combatants during the Maoist insurgency in Nepal after getting kidnapped from his home at Dailekh District of western Nepal. He was working for Radio Nepal, the National broadcasting service at the time.

The Facts

In June 2004, the Maoists blocked the pipe that brought water to the district capital, and Dekendra Thapa and other journalists walked to the Maoist-controlled area to try to persuade them to open it. Instead, they were kidnapped by the rebels, and while the others were released, Dekendra was detained.
Maoists abducted Thapa on June 26, and a rebel commander said on August 16 that they had executed him on August 11, 2004, according to local news reports.
Dekendra Raj Thapa was killed two months after the rebels abducted him.
His corpse was discovered after four years buried inside a local forest. It was found that since his mouth was found open and two bones broken, he was buried alive. The police arrested 5 people after 8 years of killing in charge of their involvement in killing of Mr. Thapa.

Timeline

June 2004 Radio journalist Dekendra Thapa abducted from Toli VDC
11 August 2004 Dekendra Thapa buried alive in Dwari after month-and-half of torture
28 August 2008 Laxmi Thapa lodged FIR at Dailekh Police about her husband’s murder
2012 Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai and his handpicked attorney general Mukti Pradhan order police investigation quashed
5 January 2013 Police arrest Lachhiram Gharti and five others for the murder of Dekendra Thapa
28 January 2013 State lawyers file case against accused and on 31 January court ordered them arrested
4 July 2013 The Appellate Court in Surkhet upholds verdict against accused
5 August 2013 The Supreme Court overturns the verdict and orders the accused to be freed
20 August 2014 District court schedules to have the final hearing on the Dekendra case. Hearing postponed to 3 November 2014 due to recent floods which has disrupted mobility in the district.
7 December 2014 District Court convicts five of the accused

Court's decision

On Sunday, 7 December 2014, the Dailekh District Court awarded punishment in the case. The five accused are awarded imprisonment of one and a half to two years. Two of those awarded have already finished the term of their punishment, hence they were supposed to be released on 8 December 2014.