Pokhara, August 20

Nepali Congress Kaski Party office was padlocked today in connection with the mysterious murder of party leader Ramji Poudel, here a few days ago.

Citing Poudel’s death, the deceased’s kin and leaders and cadres of the Deuba faction padlocked the office demanding that the guilty be brought to book.

“He was murdered by paid hooligans of the party for sure but as the district leadership is dithering to probe the incident and bring to justice those involved, we had no option other than resorting to the padlock,” said Ram Mani Poudel, brother of the deceased leader.

“The party should form a probe committee to investigate the issue, make public the mastermind behind the slaying and the owner and driver of the vehicle used in the murder,” he further added.

The deceased’s kin also chanted slogans and picketed the district police office and the district administration office for some time today, expressing serious concern about attempts to dismiss the case, and taking exception to the alleged bids of the party central leadership to hush up the incident and the recent transfer of the police officers from the district.

In relation to the same case, a struggle committee formed to pile pressure for the arrest of the guilty men, has issued an appeal and rued the impunity of persons accused in the incident.

Poudel was murdered in mysterious circumstances after he set out from the house of NC general convention representative Buddhiman Gurung at Lameahal following a meeting held there to resolve the ongoing intra-party dispute on Thursday evening.

According to Kaski Police Chief SP Hari Bahadur Pal, the deceased’s kin have filed an FIR identifying four persons, including the party-aligned Indigenous Nationalities’ Lekhnath town Coordinator Prakash Gurung, Nepal Tarun Dal Lekhnath-12 Executive Coordinator Bishwas Gautam and Nepal Tarun Dal Lekhnath-16 Coordinator Raju Ranabhat, along with a local student leader Rabin KC as persons involved in the slaying.

Besides, it has also mentioned party Lekhnath town president Rajendramani Lamichhane as the mastermind behind the murder. Of them, Lamichhane and Ranabhat are in police custody. While Ranabhat was held last Friday, Lamichhane was detained the following day.