KOLKATA: A Nepal citizen who has been languishing in jail for 41 years was released on Saturday following a Calcutta High Court order to repatriate him to his village in eastern Nepal and reunite him with his 93-year-old mother.
Held in Darjeeling on am murder charge when he was 21, Durga Prasad Timsina who is now 62 walked out of Dum Dum central correctional home and was greeted by his brother Prakash Chandra on Saturday.
Officials from the Nepal Consulate, including office secretary Satish Thapa, were also present. They will help Durga Prasad and his brother return to Nepal’s Lumbak village.
The court had ordered his release after a mental health check up had concluded that he had an IQ of a child and was not fit to stand trial.
“He looked a bit bewildered with so many people around. We fed him rasogollas and sent some for his mother. We also carried a kurta-pyjama and asked him to wear them. We have received a lot of queries across the globe once his news got viral. We have asked everyone to contribute financially as they are very poor. We have provided his brother’s account and anyone can contribute in that,” said Ambarish Nag Biswas, secretary of West Bengal Radio Club (Amateur Club) whose members contacted Nepal Radio Club, which traced his family.
Timsina, alias Dipak Joshi/Jaisi, has been lodged in various jails for the past 41 years. According to the case history, Durga Prasad, a school teacher, had come to Darjeeling after being promised a job in the Army.
The person who made the promise allegedly made him commit a murder. The Sessions Case No. 31 of 1981 in the First Additional District & Sessions Judges, Darjeeling, is yet to be decided.