KATHMANDU: A 5-point agreement was reached on Wednesday between government representatives and activist Ruby Khan, who had been on a hunger strike for the past 23 days demanding an impartial investigation into the abduction, hostage-taking, and murder of Nirmala Kurmi of Banke.

Following the agreement, Khan ended her 23-day-long hunger strike.

Deepa Dahal, the Press and Research Expert to Prime Minister Balendra Shah, broke Khan’s fast by offering her water.

A special government team had been deployed to negotiate with Khan, who was staging her strike at the Sanjeevani College of Medical Sciences in Nepalgunj, Banke.

The negotiating team comprised Additional Inspector General of Police Sushil Singh Rathore from the Nepal Police Headquarters, Joint Secretary and Spokesperson of the Ministry of Home Affairs Ananda Kafle, and PM Balendra Shah’s Press and Research Expert Deepa Dahal.

After continuous talks and facilitation by the team since Monday, the agreement paper was signed between the Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs and Khan.

Following the consensus, Khan expressed her gratitude to Prime Minister Shah and the government representatives.

According to the agreement, the ongoing investigation into the abduction, hostage-taking, and murder case of Nirmala Kurmi—which was registered at the District Police Office, Banke on April 2, 2021—will be reviewed and brought to the judicial process as soon as possible.

Similarly, the government has committed to launching an inquiry through the Lumbini Province Police Office, Dang regarding the investigations of other cases raised by Khan; if any lapses are found during this inquiry, legal action will be taken against the responsible police personnel in accordance with the Police Regulations.

It was also agreed to issue directives to immediately conclude the investigation into the “offense against public peace” case registered against Khan at the District Police Office, Banke.

Furthermore, the Police Headquarters will investigate the roles of the Chief of the District Police Office, Banke, the Superintendent of Police, and other personnel regarding this case, and action will be initiated if any negligence is found.

Additionally, the government agreed to issue necessary directives to the District Police Office and District Administration Office in Banke to ensure the security of Khan and other women’s rights activists campaigning for justice for Nirmala Kurmi.

Representatives from various organizations active in the fields of human rights and women’s rights signed the agreement as witnesses.