Pokhara, December 12:

The 12th municipal council meeting of the Lekhnath municipality was cancelled today as Maoist cadres padlocked the office of the municipality, Pashupati Babu Puri, an acting officer of the municipal office, said. “The cadres said the holding of the meeting was in violation of agreements reached between the seven-party alliance and the CPN (Maoist),” Puri said. “The meeting was scheduled to begin at 11 am. It was cancelled as the Maoists intervened,” he said.

A leader of the CPN (Maoist), Bishnu Poudel, said the holding of the meeting was in violation of the eight-point agreement reached between the seven parties and the Maoists.

Puri, however, said: “Local Maoist leaders, in a letter given to the municipality office on December 8, had given permission to hold the meeting.”