The Situation in Jhapa-based Beldangi-II Refugee Camp, which remained tense since Sunday morning following a ‘controversy’ over death of a 50-year-old refugee inside the Camp Watch Team (CWT) office, has become normal after the Camp Management Committee (CMC) clarified the controversy.
Camp Secretary of Beldangi Refugee Camp, Sangchahang Subba, informed mediapersons this afternoon that one 50-years-old Mukti Nath Sanyashi died in AMDA Hospital following his referral from the camp-based Primary Health Care Project for Bhutanese Refugees (PHCP-BR), a health care project run by the AMDA Nepal.
“Our Camp Watch Team volunteers immediately took him to the PHCP as soon as they found that Sanyashi was trying to kill himself,” Subba told.
“The PHCP found his condition critical and was immediately referred to the AMDA Hospital at Damak. We have all referral related documents.”
Our correspondents reported this morning that dozens of youths protested around the camp committee office demanding stern actions against CWT members, who were deployed on Saturday night, accusing them of punishing the refugee to death.
Dozens of Armed Police Force (APF) personnels were deployed in and around the camp.
The CWT office is learnt to have been partially damaged by agitating refugees, but now APF has increased its security around all CMC offices.
“I am extremely sorry to mention that Sanyashi somehow attempted to commit suicide inside our safe cell,” added the Secretary, refuting allegations of physical punishment as his death.
“We never punish any refugees inside our safe cells,” added the Secretary.
He was kept in a safe room when a mob of refugees attacked him after they caught him red-hand while stealing a mobile set, claimed the Secretary.
Meanwhile, law enforcement officials have taken a few members of CWT for interrogation at Damak Police Station.
The police said it was too early to disclose any information regarding controversy on death of a refugee, and assured a thorough probe into the matter once the postmortem report becomes available.
“We expect the arrival of dead body today itself,” informed the Camp Secretary.
Earlier, an all-party-meeting organized at the CMC office decided to urge authority to conduct a thorough probe into death of a refugee, and bring culprits into a book.
BNS has updated the previous post.
