Last rites of Anil Kumar Tharu, who was killed by state side during the decade-long Maoist insurgency, have been performed after 18 years. His last rites were performed on Wednesday as per Tharu rituals.
The family had been insisting that they would not perform last rites of Anil Kumar of Sripur at Rajapur municipality in Bardiya district, until they found his mortal remains. “We had the hope that he would be alive as we only heard he was killed. But we have lost our hope 18 years after the insurgency,” said Anil’s father Bikram Bahadur.
On December 19, 2002, Anil Kumar was shot dead accusing him of being a Maoist cadre and his body was buried at Rajapur municipality-10.
Families of those who were disappeared during the insurgency were forced to perform last rites of the disappeared as they were finding it hard to get justice due to legal hurdles, said Bhagiram Chaudhary, Chairperson of Sajha Chautari, an organisation working for the welfare of conflict victims. Failure of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to timely settle conflict-related complaints has made the matter worse, he said.
Source: National News Agency
