After promoting an army officer accused of human rights abuses and torture during the insurgency, the Bhattarai-led government has withdrawn the criminal charges filed against Agni Sapkota and Tara Man Golay of UCPN(M).
"These charges were withdrawn because they occurred during the conflict," government spokesperson and Minister for Information and Communication Raj Kishor Yadav told reporters on. He added that similar charges against PM Bhattarai and Pushpa Kamal Dahal were also withdrawn.
In 2008, the Supreme Court ordered the police to lodge an FIR against Sapkota and Golay accusing them of murdering Arjun Bahadur Lama, chairman of a secondary school's management committee, but the two were never tried in court.
Earlier on Thursday, the government had promoted Col Raju Basnet of the Nepal Army to the post of Brigadier General. Although the National Human Rights Commission had in 2009 recommended the government to take action with Basnet, the government, which is required to follow the NHRC's recommendations, is yet to clarify reasons for non-compliance.