Doctors in Chitwan hospital reveal Shrestha had died during treatment

As public anger mounts over the abduction and subsequent murder of Ram Hari Shrestha of Koteshwor by the Maoists, doctors at the Bharatpur Medical College in Chitwan today revealed that Shrestha had died during treatment at the hospital.

The doctors' statement contradicts the Maoist version that Shrestha had died inside the People's Liberation Army (PLA) camp in Shaktikhor, Chitwan, due to beating.

Reports quoting Dr Bhoj Raj Adhikari, who was involved in Shrestha's treatment, said that Shrestha was admitted to the emergency ward of the medical college at 8:45 pm on May 7 in a critical condition and he died at around 10:15 the next morning. He was unconscious when admitted at the emergency ward and showed no improvement during the nightlong treatment.

Hospital records show that Shrestha was admitted to the emergency ward as patient No 12133 and was transferred to ICU at 9:00 am on May 8 after his condition worsened. Dr Aman Agrawal, a consultant surgeon at the medical college, had also been called in for his treatment.

Shrestha died due to multiple organ failure and excessive bleeding, doctors said.

The PLA men had brought him to the hospital after ruthlessly beating him. Reports said the PLA men had thrown his dead body into Narayani River.

A brigade commander has been arrested in connection with the murder but two other PLA men who had tortured him are at large. The three PLA men and Shrestha were kept at the same room inside the camp and were being investigated for attempted theft of Rs 1.7 million cash and a UNMIN-registered pistol.

Shrestha, a resident of Koteshwor who owned a restaurant in the area, was kidnapped from his house by PLA men two weeks ago. He was a Maoist supporter and had rented a flat of his house to the Maoists.

Meanwhile, Maoist Deputy Commander Janardhan Sharma (Prabhakar) said at a programme in the capital city Tuesday that the party was preparing to form a high-level probe committee to investigate the murder case, vowing to take strong action against the culprit.

Saying that the murder was carried out with a personal motive and should not be linked with the party, Sharma said that if the state forms a probe committee to investigate the murder "it would have full cooperation of the Maoist party". nepalnews.com mk/ag May 20 08

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