By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Aug. 19: The Supreme Court has directed authorities to advance the investigation into the widely discussed Gaur massacre happened some 18 years back in Gaur of Rautahat.
A bench comprising Justices Til Prasad Shrestha and Nityananda Pandey issued the order on Monday, instructing the concerned authorities to proceed with probing the incident.
The petition was filed in the Supreme Court by individuals including Tribhuvan Sah, demanding a thorough investigation and accountability for the Gaur massacre.
On 21 March 2007, an attack occurred at the rice mill grounds in Gaur, Rautahat, resulting in the deaths of 27 Maoist activists and injuries to over a hundred others. On the same day, both the then Madhesi Janadhikar Forum and the Maoist-aligned Madhesi Liberation Front had organised separate events simultaneously.
Despite the District Administration Office’s request to stagger the events by a day to avoid clashes, neither party complied. As both groups’ participants arrived at the venue, tensions escalated.
According to a report by the National Human Rights Commission, some Forum participants attempted to vandalise and dismantle the stage set up by the Maoists.
Subsequently, as Madhesi Janadhikar Forum activists approached the venue via municipal routes, some fired shots in the air near the municipal office, prompting a retreat among Forum participants.
The initial stage vandalism, followed by gunfire and the ensuing chaos, escalated into a violent confrontation. During the melee, shots were also fired from the Forum’s side. The report indicates that the premeditated actions by Forum participants to detain and target Maoist activists were inhumane and brutal. Retaliatory measures by the Forum involved capturing and killing Maoist activists in a planned manner.
Ultimately, 27 people were killed in the incident, although victims’ groups claim the death toll was 28. Six bodies were found at the primary site, while another twelve were discovered together 6–7 kilometres away. Additional victims were found scattered around the vicinity.