Blast rocks NC office

BANKE: A pressure cooker bomb went off in the office of the Nepali Congress at Nepalgunj-13 in Banke district on Saturday morning. The bomb went off in the NC office at 5:15 am, damaging walls and two doors, according to the District Police Office. Investigation is underway and security has been beefed up, according to DSP Bikram Chand. Meanwhile, Bhagat Singh, JTMM-J district in-charge, owned up the blast. He said the blast was carried out to protest NC president Girija Prasad Koirala’s recent remarks against ‘One Madhes One Pradesh’. — HNS

Students stage demo

NAWALPARASI: Demanding reopening of the schools closed due to Tarai bandh, some 200 schoolkids in uniforms staged a demonstration in Kawasoti of Nawalparasi on Saturday. The students demanded the government to declare schools as peace zone and create environment for the reopening of the schools in the context of upcoming final examinations. Local residents and their guardians expressed solidarity with the protest. Students from St Joseph, Siddhartha, Lumbini, Nobel and Bishwojyoti schools took part in the demonstration. Around 100 schools are closed along the highway in Nawalparasi for the past two weeks — HNS

Free health service

PARSA: Nepal Medical Association, Narayani Branch, Birgunj, has decided to provide free health check-up service to family members of the martyrs of the Madhes Movement from Parsa district. The association distributed identity cards to the family members of martyrs Birendra Sah and Bir Bal Mukhiya on Saturday. Dr Sagar Man Amatya, superintendent of Narayani Sub-regional Hospital, will arrange for free health check-up and beds for the family members of the martyrs in his hospital. — RSS