Sikkim CM’s wife main culprit behind Padam Gurung’s murder: Pawan Chamling

Reported by Prakash Adhikari | Copy edited by Lipika Roy

Former Sikkim Chief Minister and president of the opposition Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF), Pawan Chamling has launched a scathing attack on Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang’s wife Krishna Kumari Rai accusing her of being the main culprit behind the death of student leader Padam Gurung.

The former 5-time Sikkim CM has also accused the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) of giving a ticket to Puran Gurung, father of Shravan Gurung, the initial investigating officer in the Padam Gurung death case to dismiss the case.

Speaking at a party meeting at Pakyong, the former 5-time Sikkim CM said, “The main culprit of Padam Gurung’s murder is Krishna Kumari Rai, and the Sikkim government, led by Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang, has been shielding those involved in this heinous crime. In addition, SKM has given Puran Gurung a ticket to contest from the Chujachen constituency in the upcoming assembly polls, so that his son Shravan Gurung can dismiss the case.”

Krishna Kumari Rai is contesting the upcoming assembly elections from Namchi Singithang, where the incumbent MLA is Pawan Chamling.

Student leader Padam Gurung was untraceable since June 27, 2023 night after he was reportedly washed away following heavy rainfall. His body was recovered from a drain the next day in the Kazitar area of Namchi, Sikkim.

Many people thought that Gurung was murdered and protests were held seeking justice for the deceased student leader.

In November last year, the high-level one-man judicial commission led by Justice Narendra Kumar Jain, former Chief Justice of Sikkim High Court ruled Gurung’s death as an accidental death.

However, the family members of Padam Gurung and the Citizen Action Party (CAP) have expressed their dissatisfaction with the report.

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