KATHMANDU: A group of students close to the Netra Bikram Chand-led CPN Maoist on Wednesday manhandled Kathmandu District Education Officer Shankar Gautam.

The students smeared Gautam's face with black soot over a dispute at his office this afternoon.

Chairman of the CPN Maoist's students union Purna Singh Baraili maintained that the abuse on Gautam was not planned by his organisation and it was looking over the issue.

Gautam, meanwhile, said he had taken the abuse as a common issue as he had faced death threats while working in some districts of Tarai.