Pyuthan/Nawalparasi, April 5, 2008

As many as 70 persons, including two policemen, were injured when the Maoists resorted to violence in different districts today.

They also abducted several persons, including a poll candidate. In Pyuthan district, cadres of the Young Communist League attacked and injured a 25-member Nepali Congress team led by NC candidate for Pyuthan-2 Mukti Prasad Sharma.

The YCL launched the attack at Deorali in Chunja VDC of Pyuthan. Sharma’s condition is stated to be serious. Sharma and the NC workers are being treated at the district hospital. Megh Raj Bhatt, Pyuthan president of the Press Union Nepal, was also injured in the attack. In Lamjung district, the Maoists attacked 20 UML cadres at Bhalayakhark.

Over 500 Maoist cadres surrounded the UML cadres’ houses and tried to set the houses on fire, said the district UML unit. UML workers Rishikesh Ghimirey, Bhoj Bahadur Adhikari and 18 other cadres were injured. In Solukhumbu district, the Maoists thrashed NC cadres Guru Dhwoj Basnet, Prakash Basnet and Dilip Basnet, said CDO Shree Krishna Shrestha.

YCL cadres attacked a Nepali Congress team led by the party’s candidate for Nawalparasi constituency-3 Om Kala Gautam. Two policemen and six NC cadres were injured in the attack at Kawasoti along the Mahendra highway.

Gautam and the NC cadres were on the way to attend an election meeting, which was to be addressed by Minister for Peace and Reconstruction Ram Chandra Poudel.

Maoists yet to fall in line: UML

Kathmandu, April 5, 2008

Though a 10-point agreement was reached between the Nepali Congress, CPNUML and the Maoists on Tuesday to stop election-related violence, Maoist cadres have not stopped abducting, intimidating and threatening cadres of the CPN-UML, the central election mobilisation committee of the UML said in a statement today.

Maoist cadres today abducted Chandra Bahadur Shahi, UML’s first-past-the-post candidate of Mugu district, from Argha VDC, the committee said, adding that Shahi was heading towards Gamgadhi, the district headquarters of Mugu, to address the party’s rally.

UML leader Shankar Pokharel, who is the coordinator of the election mobilisation committee, said the Maoists on Thursday beat up UML’s former Dolpa district committee secretary Datta Bahadur Rokaya.

He was airlifted to the capital and is undergoing treatment at the B&B Hospital. A group of Maoists took Ashok Rai, UML candidate from Udayapur-1, under control for over three hours in Dhoksila VDC of Udayapur district last night.

According to the statement, a group of Maoists today attacked UML cadres in Namadi VDC of Ramechhap district and set party flags, banners and other publicity materials on fire.