Kathmandu, March 20, 2008

The members of a team sent by the National Election Observation Committee (NEOC) for a field study said today they suspected the involvement of two Maoist cadres in the killing of the candidate of Rastriya Janamorcha Nepal Kamal Prasad Adhikary.

“The two suspects arrested by the police were found to have been involved in our poll campaign during daytime,” said Surya Prasad Shrestha, president of NEOC and the convener of the three-member team that visited the site, quoting Gagan Khadka ‘Jeevan’ Regional Bureau Member of Banke of the CPN Maoists.

Shrestha, however, said Khadka was not sure whether the arrested cadres Holi Kewat and Bhulan Kewat were actually involved in murdering Adhikary.

“Government should investigate the issue and find out the culprits and punish them,” he told the reporters at a press conference organised at its office today.

The preliminary study report of the team has come to a conclusion that the killing was intended to disrupt the CA polls and terrorise the people. Adhikary had named all the four people who had shot him before he died.

One of the members of the team Prof Kapil Shrestha said among the four Shikandar Khan and Surendra are still at large. “Human rights bodies had released Khan when he was arrested earlier.

Khan was one among the 60 names of the criminals creating problems in the Nepal India border areas,” he said adding that the police had searched his residence a few days ago.

EC asks major political parties to behave

Kathmandu, March 20, 2008

Chief Election Commissioner Bhoj Raj Pokharel today urged the major political parties — the Nepali Congress, the CPN-UML and the CPN Maoist — to improve the nature of their election campaigning across the country.

The Election Commission (EC) today called leaders of the three parties for a special meeting. “We called them as they were seen involved in unwanted activities and reminded them of the election fundamentals and the code of conduct today,” said Pokharel while opening the Media Centre of the EC. He has also shown concern about the recent incidents of unrest during the election campaign.

“The EC expresses sorrow over the incidents of beating up of candidates of other parties, manhandling, abducting, threatening and obstructing the campaign programmes,” he said.

Pokharel said that the commission believes that the political parties are aware of the fact that thousands of national and international observers are constantly watching each and every incident in the country and on top of it, the whole world is watching us and our efforts.

“The EC will be forced to fine the party concerned or to cancel the candidacy of the contender and even to cancel vote casting if the requests of EC were neglected and their activities continued.”