GAIGHAT: A member of the CPN-Maoist (Matrika Group) Udaypur district committee was beaten to death by an unidentified group last night.

According to the Area Police Office, Rampur, a group of four-five persons had assaulted Karna Bahadur Thapa at 11:15 last night after taking him out of his wife's house in Thoksila-3, Dhouritapu. Manoj Yadav Deputy Superintendent of Police, District Police Office, Udaypur, said that seriously injured Thapa died while being rushed to hospital for treatment.

Thapa had gone to the house of his second wife Ranjana after he felt insecure in his first wife Sita's home in Thoksila-2, Bargachhi. According to Ranjana, the masked group had called him out of the house and assaulted him mercilessly.

She said, "They threatened him to kill if he did not pay them Rs 7 lakhs." She added, "When he said that he had known them, they came back and assaulted him again." She also said that they had covered her mouth when she tried to shout for help. Ranjana is undergoing treatment in district hospital Udaypur. According to the locals, the group had beaten Thapa for about one and a half hour. They also said that after assaulting Thapa, the group had moved towards the Koshi River.

Thapa's first wife Sita also said that two unidentified persons had come to her house for enquiring about her husband yesterday evening.

Locals said that Kirant Janabadi Workers' Party (KJWP) had been asking for donation from Thapa. Thapa was the chairman of local Machhapuchhre Community Forest Consumers' Committee. The KJWP has also obstructed the consumers' committee's process of sale of logs.