ONCE-OVER

Gyawali’s address

RAJBIRAJ: Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Pradip Gyawali, who is also a member of the Government-Maoist Talks Team, said on Friday the peace parleys would see success this time because the Maoists and the government have taken the establishment of peace and inclusive democracy in the country as the bottom line. Addressing a gathering of Madheshi students, Gyawali stressed the need to constitute a peace talks monitoring committee under the UN leadership. — RSS

Call for lasting peace

Tulsipur: The Mechi-Mahakali Tarun Jagaran campaign held a programme in Deukhuri on Thursday. Speakers at the programme asked the representatives of parties to work for establishment of lasting peace. — RSS

Probe panel

Kathmandu: The High Level Judicial Investigation Commission on Friday left for a field visit to eastern region for investigation. Dr Kiran Shrestha and advocate Ram Kumar Shrestha, along with five other assistants, will investigate cases of high-handedness and suppression during the Jana Andolan, for at least two weeks. Dr Kiran Shrestha, member of the team, said they would visit places where there were large gathering and more casualties reported. The team will hold discussion with the local leaders, hospitals and conduct spot visits regarding casualties and suppression during Jana Andolan. —HNS

Abducted man killed

BARA: One Dhoop Lal Prasad Yadav, 60, was murdered, on Thursday evening. Six people, who came on three motorbikes, had abducted him from Hardiya Belwa tole in Bara district, the same morning. They later sent his body to the village by an ambulance from an unidentified place. His body was taken to Kalaiya Hospital for post mortem on Friday. On Thursday Yadav’s son Pramod had claimed that Maoists had abducted his father and had called on rights organisations to help free him. — HNS

Soldier stabs man

ITAHARI: A local businessman, Raju Thapa Magar of Inaruwa-7, Sunsari, was injured critically after he was stabbed by Singha Bahadur Bhujel, a Nepali Army constable of Mahendra Dal Battalion, Gorkha, on Thursday. Bhujel, a resident of Sunsari, Mahendranagar-4, was on home leave. Bhujel stabbed Thapa under his left arm for an argument over some money matter, District Police Office (DPO), Sunsari said. The local residents had thrashed and handed over the guilty army constable to DPO. — HNS

Rights for Dalits

Kathmandu: Maoist leader and member of the talks team, Dev Gurung, on Friday said social equality cannot be achieved without rights to the Dalits. “Those Dalits, who have been downtrodden for centuries and now fighting for their existence, cannot compete with Hindus, who enjoyed support from the state. So, special attention for Dalits is a must,” he said, while addressing the conference of Society for the Liberation of Oppressed Dalit Castes Nepal. —HNS

Action demanded

Sunsari: Human Rights and Peace Society has demanded action against those involved wrecking havoc in the Itahari bajar of Sunsari district on Wednesday. Society Chairman Khem Raj Dahal in a press communique published on Friday said the incident might be the work of those who could not accept democratic rights received from the Jana Andolan. — RSS