3936 people killed in Mid-western region during insurgency: Report

A total of 3,936 people were killed in Mid-western region during the decade long insurgency of Nepal, says a report.

A book released by INSEC Mid-Western Regional Office revealed that those people were killed from the state, Maoists and unidentified groups during the armed insurgency. The book is a compilation all the information of the people killed during the armed insurgency.

Though statistics said that over 13,000 people were killed during the armed insurgency, the exact number and identity of the people is yet to be verified. Information of the people killed during the armed insurgency was collected by INSEC district representatives by visiting all the village development committees of Mid-western districts.

The book also reveals that 591 people disappeared by the state, Maoists and unidentified people during the armed insurgency are still missing.

Releasing book amid a ceremony in Nepalgunj, Chairman of INSEC Subodh Raj Pyakurel said restoration of sustainable peace in the country is impossible without providing justice to conflict victims and ending the culture of impunity. He further said that the human rights violators should be taken into book after forming Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Regional Coordinator of INSEC, Bhola Mahat, also shed light on various aspects of the book. Stating that there might be some errors in the book, Mahat expressed commitment to address these errors in the future.

Documentation Officer of INSEC, Nepalgunj Pratibedan Baidya said the book was prepared with an objective to identify how many people were killed in the region. "It will give exact toll of insurgency in the region," said he, adding that the book is a step taken towards providing justice to the victims of the decade long insurgency and also to pressurise the government and political parties to pay proper attention to the issues of conflict victims.

Apart from giving information about people killed during the Maoist insurgency and disappeared people, the book presents the human rights scenario in various districts of the region.

Highest number of people (794) were killed in Rolpa district alone, the hotbed of the Maoist insurgency, while Bardiya has highest number of disappearances. 172 people from Bardiya are still missing. nepalnews.com Mar 20 08