Daily wagers being paid to trigger blasts, claim Nepal Police

Bharatpur, December 4

Sanjay Gurung, who was arrested on November 28 for carrying a gas cylinder in Ratnanagar Urban Municipality of Chitwan to trigger an explosion, told police that he was merely carrying out anti-poll elements’ order for a sum.

According to Chitwan Superintendent of Police Deepak Thapa, Gurung told police that he was offered Rs 1,000 for exploding a cylinder and he  accepted the offer, since as a daily wager he used to earn only Rs 200 to 300 per day.

According to police, it is not clear who told Gurung to explode a cylinder and who paid him Rs 1,000 for carrying out the blast. This was not an isolated incident involving a daily wager to trigger a blast. Another daily wager had also exploded a cylinder at Lanku Bridge in Narayanghat on the morning of November 28. Police arrested him immediately. He too told the police that he exploded the cylinder, as he was promised Rs 1,000 by someone.

In another such incident, Ganju Singh Gurung was arrested on November 29 from Ratnanagar Urban Municipality when he hurled a Molotov cocktail on a vehicle being used for campaigning.  Ganju Singh told police that Netra Bikram Chand-led Communist Party of Nepal, which had suspended him for joining CPN-MC, had told him to carry out an explosion to show his commitment to Chand-led CPN.

According to SP Thapa, anti-poll activists were luring daily wagers to carry out terrorist activities.

Police have beefed up security by carrying out cordon search and sweep operation across the district. They have increased vigilance in Mugling, Lother Bridge, Narayani Bridge and in areas where landless people are settled. Police have so far arrested 25 anti-poll activists and 19 gangsters with explosives, weapons and ammunition.

Twenty-five anti-poll activists who have been arrested are suspected to be associated with Chand-led CPN but the government bodies have not confirmed their political association.

With campaigning ending tonight, district security committee has decided to deploy special forces in the district. “We’ll not let people stand in a group of five or more on the road,” said SP Thapa. “Joint security forces will also carry out cordon search and sweep operation across the district,” he added.

Chief District Officer of Chitwan Narayan Prasad Bhatta said his office had been implementing the security plan devised by the home ministry.

There are 161 polling stations and 408 polling booths in Chitwan. According to SP Thapa, police were deployed at all the 161 polling stations on December 1. He added that 12 to 49 security personnel would man each polling station.

“More than 200 security personnel have been deployed in the district since yesterday,” said SP Thapa. “They will be on duty from 10:00pm to 6:00am.”

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