The incident also points toward the fact that a heady mix of politics, money and violence has torn the very fabric of our society. Lama, until some years back, was a priest in Kavre. Under the patronage of Satyaman Lama, a minister in the Panchayati government, the illiterate Lama has now risen to become a millionaire and a proprietor of an ‘A-Grade’ construction company. That Lama had the audacity to spread terror of such a magnitude in broad daylight speaks a lot about his deep connections with the high and the mighty. According to a news report that was published in our sister daily Nagarik, when Lama was the Treasurer of NCEA Kavre, he had made an arrangement to give the Maoists 5 percent of the revenue collected by the Association.
Lama, his sons Palden and Phurwa, and some other members involved in the incident are at large. Palden has long been wanted by the police in public offence cases. We urge the authorities to bring them to book and try them as stringently as the law of the land permits. Meanwhile, the grief-stricken Karki family must be duly compensated while the three injured – the victim’s aunt Shova Karki, Khadka and another local Gajendra Basnet – must be given the best medical treatment possible. Most importantly, our authorities must regulate the possession of arms and ammunition. This problem has become especially pertinent in the Tarai belt in the past couple of years. The government must act now to ensure that the public can move around and live without fear of losing their and their loved ones’ precious lives.
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