Itahari, August 17:

Maoist cadres, who were celebrating the election of their leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal aka Prachanda as the first Prime Minister of Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, beat up a commoner in Itahari today.

Ambar Gurung, a resident of Bhojpure, Itahari-8, was critically injured in the incident and is undergoing treatment at Dharan based BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences.

The incident occurred when Gurung, who was driving a motorbike, hit a rickshaw when the jubilant crowd was participating in a corner meeting after the rally organised to celebrate the election of Prachanda as the Prime Minister.

Taking the incident as an excuse, more than 50 participants of the meeting began beating Gurung with bamboo sticks.

They continued assaulting Gurung mercilessly even after policemen arrived. Political parties have denounced the Maoists’ act of thrashing a commoner. CPN-UML termed Maoist cadres’ act brutal.

CPN-Maoist’s Itahari secretary Narin Subba admitted that Gurung was beaten for assaulting a worker.

“He was beaten not by the Maoists, but by the people,” Subba added.