Doctor shot at

BIRGUNJ: A homeopathic doctor of Birgunj-9 was critically injured when an unidentified gang shot at him on Thursday evening. Two persons shot Dr Bishownath Bhagat thrice in the chest while he was returning home from his clinic in Birgunj-7, Birta Ward Police Inspector, Kiranjung Thapa, said. Dr Bhagat is undergoing treatment in Advanced Medicare Hospital. — HNS

JTMM-J hails republic

RAJBIRAJ: Janatantrik Tarai Mukti Morcha-Jwala on Thursday welcomed the declaration of the nation as a federal democratic republic. Morcha’s president Jwala Singh said over phone, “The declaration of the nation as a federal democratic republic has ended a chapter of our agitation. The declaration will uphold the rights of the people in Madhes.” Singh thanked all the Madhesi Constituent Assembly members for contributing to the declaration and called upon the people to celebrate it. — HNS

Property returned

TAULIHAWA: The Maoists, on the occasion of the declaration of republic, returned 12 bighas of land and a two-storey house belonging to Pashupati Basyal, a resident of Gajehuda VDC in Kapilvastu on Thursday. They returned the property they had seized seven years ago in the presence of Drona Aryal of Civil Society and representatives of Human Rights Monitoring Network, the party’s district unit said. — HNS

Bomb detonated

BARA: An unidentified gang detonated a socket bomb in a house belonging to Uddhav Bhattarai in Kalaiya-8 at 8.15 pm on Thursday. The explosion caused minor damage to the house and no human casualty was reported, police said. Earlier, a gang had planted a bomb in front of Thapa Hotel at Main Chowk in Kalaiya at 7.15 am on same day.

The bomb was defused by a squad of Nepal Army from Kalinjung Company, Kalaiya. — HNS

Murder suspects held

SANKHUWASABHA: Three persons were held in Makalu VDC on suspicion of murder of a trekking porter Man Bahadur Rai, 20, of Diding-8 on Wednesday. According to district’s acting police head Buddha Kumar Rai, those arrested were Chakra Bahadur Rai, 31, of Pathibhara-6, Angdawa Sherpa, 28, of Makalu-6 and Tensing Sherpa, 18, of Makalu-9. The accused were also porters and accompanied Rai to carry loads to the Makalu base camp. Rai was murdered at Makalu VDC-5.—HNS

Property gutted

BARA: A house of Sukhadi Mahara at Kalaiya-10 in Bara was destroyed after fire engulfed it on Tuesday night. According to the district police office Bara, cooking utensils, clothes and food grains were destroyed. — HNS

Leopards found dead

DAMAK: Two leopards were found dead at Bahundangi-6 in Jhapa on Thursday. The leopards are believed to have come to Nepal from a jungle near Siliguri in India. Inspector at Kakarvitta Area Police Office, Dipak Giri, said the leopards might have munched on poisonous herbs. — HNS

Blast condemned

BARA: The Nepal Workers’ and Peasants’ Party has condemned the bombing of the house belonging to its Constituency No-3 CA candidate, Renju Shah, on Tuesday night. Issuing a press release on Thursday, the NWPP Bara Coordinator, Mukti Yadav, condemned the act. — HNS