Nepal panel accuses army official of murdering legislator

The Nepal parliamentary committee investigation found Lt Col Babu Krishna Karki complicit in the death of a legislator two years ago.

A Nepalese parliamentary committee has recommended that an army officer be tried for murder after an investigation found him complicit in the death of a legislator two years ago, officials said on Saturday.

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The investigation found that Lt Col Babu Krishna Karki was involved in the death of Hem Narayan Yadav, a member of Parliament from the southern district of Siraha in 2004, said Ananda Prasad Dhungana, who led the investigation.

"Based on the evidence we gathered after visiting the area and questioning the local people, we found commander of the local army camp to be involved in the murder," Dhungana said.

The committee has asked the government to suspend the official, take him into custody and charge him with murder, Dhungana said.

Two local villagers were also accused by the investigators of aiding the murder.

Yadav was found dead a day after he disappeared, believed kidnapped, near his hometown.

At the time of Yadav's death, the army was actively involved in fighting communist rebels and had the power to detain anyone they suspect of having links to the insurgents.

An alliance between the Maoists and pro-democracy parties eventually forced King Gyanendra to give up his authoritarian rule earlier this year and reinstate Parliament.

The two sides have since embarked on a landmark peace process that will see the rebels disband, disarm and enter mainstream politics for the first time ever.

After Parliament was reinstated, a committee was set up to investigate Yadav's death.

During the years of fighting against the rebels, the army has repeatedly been accused of human rights violations, ranging from use of excessive force to torture and murder.