Call for early election

Bhairahawa: Members of civil society and human right activists here have urged leaders of the seven-party alliance to hold early an election to the constituent assembly. At an interface organised by Siddhartha Jaycees here, they urged the House to announce the date for election to the constituent assembly after finalising the modalities of the constituent assembly. Member of civil society, Dr Devendra Raj Pandey said the agitation would not end until a republic is established. Human rights leader, Krishna Pahadi said long-lasting peace would return to the country after constituent assembly poll. —HNS

College boy drowns

TANAHUN: Gaurav Thapa, a resident of Jita VDC-5, Lamjung district, was swept away by the Madi river on Saturday. Thapa, a student of Parasar College, Damauli, went swimming with his colleagues in the river near the Maharshi Bed Byans Secondary School. A police team searched for about five hours, but Thapa’s body could not be found, said the Tanahun District Police Office. — HNS

Bus-hit kills child

NAWALPARASI: A three-year-old died on the spot after being hit by a passenger bus on the Bhedabari section of Mahendra Highway on Saturday, eyewitnesses said. Demanding that family members of the child be compensated and the driver punished, locals blocked the road for four hours. The driver has been arrested and the bus impounded, said police inspector Bishnu Hari Koirala. — HNS

Maoists free cop

SINDHUPALCHOWK: The Maoists released police constable Om Thapa in Jalbire on Saturday. They had abducted Thapa from his apartment during the Chautara attack on April 23. Journalists and human rights activists took initiatives for Thapa’s release. However, Thakur Bhandari, secretary of Thokarpa VDC whom the Maoists had abducted from Thokarpa on April 2, has not been released yet. — HNS

Man’s body found

BARA: Locals found the body of a man aged around 55 years old in a jungle near a bridge in Bara district on Saturday and informed the area police office, Simra. Investigation is underway, said police. — HNS

Cyclist run over

BIRGUNJ: A 16-year-old cyclist, Hriday Narayan Ram, of Bahuari, Bara district, was killed when a truck hit him on the Bypass road in Birgunj on Saturday, the District Police Office, Parsa, said. After the mishap, irate locals vandalised the truck and blocked traffic for about two hours. Police have impounded the truck and arrested the driver. — HNS

926 disputes settled

Ilam: Nine hundred and twenty-six disputes within 30 village development committees of Ilam have been settled through mediation, till date. Committees at the village development committees and ward levels and women’s groups, all formed five years ago, have helped settle these disputes. Of all disputes brought before various monitoring committees, all but eight have been settled. — HNS

Conservation panel

LAMJUNG: A Dudhapokhari Environment Preservation Committee has been constituted with the objective of preserving forests, herbs, animals and birds found in high hills and mountains of Lamjung district. The committee constituted under the chairmanship of Tuljanga Gurung has Baisa Bahadur Gurung as vice-chairman, Sudarsan Pradhan as secretary and Tej Bahadur Gurung as the treasurer. — RSS