On 17 August 2003, 17 unarmed CPN-M cadres and 2 civilians were arrested whilst conducting a meeting inside a civilian house in Doramba, Ramechhap District by a joint team of Security Forces. All the 19 people had their hands tied behind the back, were divided into groups of 5 to 7 persons, and some of them were forced to carry one bag in the front and another at the back, and some to carry only one bag each. Then they were forcibly marched towards the Health Post of the village and from there to the top of the hill. There they were lined up and shot dead at close range.
Details of the Incident: On 16 August 2003, at around 4pm a group of Maoists went to the house of Yubaraj Moktan for conducting meeting and celebrate a marriage party of a Maoist member. The Maoists themselves selected the house for conducting their meeting at the house, and the owners of the house were under compulsion to give their consent to it.
Yubraj Moktan was a 39 years old teacher of Shree Buddhalaya Primary School of Doramba VDC, which was located at a hill slope at some distance from his house. Before some days of the incident, he had gone to Kathmandu to take some books for the school.
On 16 August 2003, Yubaraj’s wife Suntali Moktan and his elder son Leela Moktan had gone to work in the field and daughter of Youraj Sabina Moktan 16, was alone in the house. Youraj’s younger son Ambarlal Moktan was in Kathmandu studying at Tahachal campus. Leela Moktan was also studying at the same campus but at that time he had campus holidays. When Yubraj’s wife and elder son Leela had returned home, they found that the Maoists had already entered their house. The Maoists who had come from outside stayed there overnight. They had themselves brought foodstuff which they cooked and ate. They were busy gossiping till late at night.
Right from the early morning of 17 August 2003, the Maoists activists belonging to the village and to outside started coming gradually. Yubraj Moktan was returning home from Kathmandu and was suffering from Diarrhea. He reached home the same day on foot at about 9:30 am in the morning. After arriving at the house he came to know about the meeting of the Maoists and without uttering any words he went straight upstairs and lay down on the bed in his room. He asked water from his wife, and his wife went outside for working in the field allowing him to take a complete rest. While she was coming outside of the house, there were nearly 18/20 Maoists inside the house; nearly 10/12 Maoists were busy gossiping in the courtyard and at the outskirts. Some of those who were inside the house were cooking food in the kitchen. They were busy butchering the goat they had themselves brought, preparing and cooking meat.
That morning, the Army had come to Galpa from Manthali and stayed there for rest. The Army was believed to have come towards Doramba market from the Galpa village, which is situated in the south of Doramba at a distance of about two hours’ walk on foot. They were in civil dress, some of them clad in vests and half pants, half jackets and raincoats, had hidden their arms. After entering the Doramba area, 80 army personnel, got divided into several groups, some of them got stationed at the hill top in front of the Health Post, others at the hill top beside the School, some in the Market area, others in the village located in the east of the Market, and two groups of the Army went towards the house of Yubaraj Moktan situated in the east of the Health Post.
A gunshot was heard at about 10:30. It was learnt that the army had circled around the house of Yubaraj Moktan. Tek Bahadur Thapa Magar who had come from the east from Daduwa village of some distant hillside to take part in the meeting was hit a bullet fired by the army from some height near the house of Yubaraj and collapsed. In the mean time two unknown Maoists also died by the army bullet and one Maoists staying inside the house was successful to jump down from a window of the top floor which had no grilles and ran away. In course of happening of all these events reportedly several rounds of firing has been made by the army. Bullet marks were discovered on the outer wall of the house and its roof and even on the photo of the late king and the queen.
The Army personnel, after entering the house, had forced 19 persons including Yubaraj Moktan and his son Leela moktan to raise their hands and took them out of the house. The hands of every such person dragged across the house. The army thoroughly searched the house. The army overturned the food cooked by the Maoists, broke down the pot of curd and splashed it and broke down the glasses fixed inside the house. The army burnt down the clothes of the wife of Yubraj Moktan and daughter and sons after taking them out in the yard and damaged the utensils. The army burnt various items of the house owner. Around one hour after the above mentioned incident at about 11:30 the army marched the arrested people towards the Health Post dividing them in groups of 5 to 7 persons and tying their hands at their back and making some of them carry one bag in the front and another at the back and making some carry only one bag each.
Some of the villagers (Dambar, Nirlal, Kul bahadur, Panbir) saw the army forcibly carrying one lady from the house of Yubaraj towards the height. The dead body of Tek Bahadur Thapa Magar was found near that house with bullets marks in the chest and stomach. Those persons who were arrested were taken towards the height from Doramba market through the way passing by the Health Post and the school.
Collective Statement of the Eye-witnesses (They saw the Incident from the windows):
The army personnel ordered all the local residents to “remain inside shutting down their houses and shops”. Later on when they peeped through the windows they saw that the people were made to march in rows, with their hands tied at their back with green cloth, carrying bags, and abuses where showered on them. The army and arrested persons started moving forwards the north of Doramba market and army personnel were destroying the Welcome gate which made by the Maoists. After taking to the arrest people up to Dadakateri (height with cluster of trees) and ordered to stand in rows and then the Army personnel were gun downs to them. Two teachers Resham Younjan and Mobin Theng teaching in a school of Doramba who taught at Surke Deurali, while returning home, had seen some men in civil dress carrying arms. When they reached the incident place at about 5 pm they saw blood, inner flesh and broken pieces of skull scattered all through the way. They saw nine or ten dead bodies lying below on the steep slope they also became afraid of their own lives and started moving hurriedly towards their houses.
