PM assures action against culprits in Balkumari incident

By TRN Online, Kathmandu, Dec 30: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ said that action will be taken against those who were  guilty in the Balkumari incident of December 29.

Addressing the inauguration of the sixth National Trade Union Conference in Kathmandu on Saturday, PM said that the incident was sudden and unfortunate and that compensation will be provided to the families of those who lost their lives.  

The PM said that police officials as well as the Personal Security Officer (PSO) of Physical Infrastructure and Transport Minister Prakash Jwala, who could not tactfully manage the incident, has been suspended.  

The PM said, “The police officer that gave the order to fire in the incident has been suspended until the report of the probe committee is received.”

He urged to ease the situation saying that the court has decided to allow to those who could not sit in EPS- test of proficiency in Korean,  exam previously to give a paper. PM Prachanda expressed regret that the court decision also had a slight drawback. 

The PM said, “The Balkumari incident of yesterday should be seriously investigated. This incident occurred out of the blue. It has been decided to suspend the PSO of Minister Jwala in line with taking out the Minister’s car by not assessing the depth of the situation. Likewise, the police official who ordered to fire is also suspended until the report of the probe committee is submitted .”

He said that the government is sensitive to the issue of foreign employment and that everyone should focus on running a new economic prosperity campaign to create employment opportunities within the country.

Discussions are underway to provide compensation to the families of the deceased individuals, Birendra Shah and Sujan Raut, who lost their lives in the Balkumari incident.