One shot dead

NAWALPARASI: The Maoists shot dead Shankar Mallaha, a member of the Maoist retaliation committee, an anti-Maoist group, in Rupauliya village development committee on Thursday evening. The Maoists had shot dead Narayan Vediyar, a member of the retaliation committee, two days ago. — HNS

Maoists abduct three

GAIGHAT: A group of armed Maoist cadres abducted three workers of the Division Cooperative Office, Udaypur, from Murchuki bazaar of the district on Thursday. Rajan Pokharel, assistant supervisor, Sovit KC, non-gazetted third class officer, and peon Khem Raj Ojha were abducted while were in the bazaar to provide cooperative training. Whereabouts of the abductees are unknown, locals said. Meanwhile, issuing a statement on Thursday, the Government Employees’ Organisation has urged the Maoists to set the abductees free at the earliest. — HNS

Truck torched

NAWALPARASI: An armed group of about 16 people set ablaze a truck on the Kawasoti-Danda road section of Nawalparasi on Thursday, Narayan Shrestha, helper of the truck, said, adding the group had detonated explosives in different places before torching it. Meanwhile, a group carried out a blast on an open ground at Ramgram municipality-2 on Thursday night. One Parshu Ram Sunar said the group had demanded one lakh rupees from him and warned of punishment if the money was not given. Police suspect the Maoists might have been involved in both the incidents. — HNS

NHRC plea to Maoists

KATHMANDU: The National Human Rights Commission has urged Maoists to immediately release abducted engineer Rajesh Kumar Dev and respect the international humanitarain law. The Maoists had abducted Rajesh on March 7 from Hanumannaraha Chowk, Narhawalkha VDC in Sarlahi district, while he was on duty. Three Maoists who came on two motorcycles abducted Rajesh, said an NHRC statement. —HNS

Truck set ablaze

DHADING: An unidentified group on Thursday night set fire to a loaded truck parked at Jawangkhola of Jogimara Village Development Committee in Dhading district along the Prithvi Highway. The truck was completely burnt down by the fire, police said. — HNS

King grants audience

Pokhara: King Gyanendra, who is in Pokhara currently on an informal visit, on Friday granted audience to the chief of the security organs. Chief of army staff Pyar Jung Thapa, inspector general of police Shyam Bhakta Thapa, inspector general of police of the armed police force, Sahabir Thapa and chief of the investigation department, Devi Ram Sharma were granted an hour-and-a-half long audience. They went to Ratna Mandir at 4:00 pm and came out at 5:30 pm. Later in the evening, the King attended the dinner hosted by the RNA’s western divisional headquarters. —HNS

Traffic disrupted

POKHARA: Visually impaired people of Pokhara disrupted traffic for about half-an-hour in the busy market of Mahendrapul on Friday. They were protesting the police intervention in the sit-in programme being organised by the visually impaired of Kaski in the district administration office demanding the employment for them, on Thursday. The programme was organised by the agitation committee in Kaski of the unemployed visually impaired. Although the programme was for three hours, it had to be cut down to half an hour due. — HNS

Award handed out

Kathmand: The Rudraraj Literature Service Committee has presented this year’s Rudra Raj Pandey Award to historian Prof Tirtha Prasad Mishra. Professor Mishra has been given the award for carrying out study and research on history. The award carries a purse of Rs 15,000 and a letter of honour. Presenting the award to Prof Mishra at a programme held on the 106th birth anniversary of Sardar Rudra Raj Pandey on Friday, vice-chairman of the Council of Ministers, Kirti Nidhi Bista, stressed the need to recognise Pandey’s contributions.—RSS