RAUTAHAT, May 30: The acquittal of former minister and Nepali Congress leader Mohammad Aftab Alam by the Janakpur High Court's bench in Birgunj has sparked mixed reactions across Rautahat.
Shree Narayan Singh, father of a 22-year-old victim Trilok Pratap Singh allegedly burned in a brick kiln in the 2008 incident, criticized the verdict and vowed to move the case to the Supreme Court. He expressed disappointment over what he called a miscarriage of justice.
“I am 84 years old now, but I will keep fighting for justice as long as I live,” said Singh.
Kiran Kumar Shah, MP from Rautahat-2, also criticized the verdict and linked it to political influence. Shah, formerly an independent MP who joined the UML, claimed the decision has shaken public faith in the judiciary.
In contrast, Alam’s supporters celebrated his release. Thousands gathered to welcome him and his brother Mahtab Alam upon their release from the prison on Wednesday. Local leaders called it a victory for justice, while others alleged political conspiracy behind the charges.
Alam received a grand welcome at his village. Alam accused his opponents of framing him with false charges as political revenge.
The Janakpur High Court's temporary bench in Birgunj is yet to release the full text of the verdict, but the court cited a lack of evidence linking Alam to the alleged bomb blast incident at his residence on April 9, 2008.
The bench also ruled that the plaintiff failed to present evidence proving that the perpetrators put the alleged blast victims, Trilok Pratap Singh and Oshi Akhtar, on a tractor and burned them alive at Raja Brick Kiln.
Registrar Deepak Bhandari of the High Court explained that the bench acquitted Alam based on another reason: the forensic report did not support the claim that the victims died by being burned at the brick kiln.
Alam had been facing three separate charges—murder, attempted murder, and crimes related to explosives—in connection with a deadly blast and the subsequent killings that occurred on the eve of the first Constituent Assembly election, on April 9, 2008, in Rajpur, Rautahat.
According to the charge sheet, Alam allegedly orchestrated the construction of bombs at his uncle Sheikh Indris's residence. When one of the bombs exploded prematurely, several individuals, including Trilok Pratap Singh and Oshi Akhtar, were seriously injured. To prevent the incident from becoming public, Alam was accused of ordering the injured to be burned alive in a nearby brick kiln.
Initially, local police and government attorneys concluded that no explosion had occurred and recommended against prosecuting the case. Based on their findings, then-Attorney General Yagyamurti Banjade closed the file.
However, following a petition filed by victims, the Supreme Court ordered a fresh investigation. Twelve years after the incident, Alam—then a sitting MP from Rautahat Constituency-2—was arrested on October 6, 2019. The Rautahat District Court Judge Matrikaprasad Acharya's bench subsequently convicted him along with his brother Mohammad Mobin and two others and handed them life sentences.
After five years and eight months of detention, the High Court ruled in favor of Alam, citing insufficient evidence to uphold the charges.
Alam served twice as a Member of Parliament from Rautahat constituency no. 2 and once as Minister of Labour and Transport.