Govt media draws flak

Kathmandu: The media monitoring being conducted by the Press Council Nepal for the Election Commission has found restrained coverage of election-related issues in newspapers, radio stations and TV stations. Dhrama Adhikari, director of the Media Monitoring Programme 2008, said on Friday: “Mostly the weeklies and government media programmes in both radio and TV are seen violating the poll code.” —HNS

Refugees face ban

Damak: Bhutanese refugees living in camps in Jhapa and Morang districts will not be allowed to come out of the camps on April 10, the poll day. “The district security committee has decided to bar the refugees from leaving the camps throughout the day on April 10,” DSP at the Beldangi-based base camp of the Armed Police Force Raj Kumar Lamichhane said. —HNS

FNJ against govt move

Siraha: Media persons will have to walk to their offices for filing news on the election day. This hard-to-believe fact dawned on media persons after CDO Bal Krishna Panthi rejected their requests for permit to operate vehicles on the day. Vice-chairman of the FNJ Siraha Chapter Dev Kumar Yadav called for scrapping the impractical regulation. “It is not feasible for scribes to travel to Kathmandu just to bring the recommendation to operate bikes,” Yadav said. —HNS

6 blasts in Kapilvastu

KAPILVASTU: Cadres of the Samyukta Janatantrik Tarai Mukti Morcha detonated six bombs in Bhaurya of Kapilvastu Municipality-6 and Maryadpur of Taulihawa in Kapilvastu district on Thursday night. The morcha cadres also torched effigies of the president of the TMDP Mahantha Thakur, coordinator of the MJF Upendra Yadav and president of the SP Rajendra Mahato. — HNS

Border to be sealed

SARLAHI: The Indo-Nepal border will be sealed three days ahead of the election. According to superintendent of police at the district police office Ganesh KC, the Indo-Nepal border will be sealed on April 8, 9 and 10 to curb possible criminal activities. “The security personnel of both the countries will make round-the-clock patrolling in their respective territories,” KC said on Friday. — HNS

SC notices to govt

KATHMANDU: The Supreme Court on Friday issued show cause notices to government authorities, demanding written explanations on why the victims of the Maoist conflict have not been able to return to their homes and get their seized property back. A single bench of Justice Khil Raj Regmi issued the order, responding to a writ petition filed by a group of conflict victims. — HNS

NA man shot dead

BARDIYA: Poachers have shot dead a Nepal Army soldier in Bardiya National Park. “NA Pyuth Dinesh Chaudhary was killed. His body was found in the jungle on Friday afternoon,” colonel Samir Singh of Ranasher battalion deployed at Badriya national park Thakurdwara said. According to Singh, the poachers might have killed Chaudhary. — HNS

Criminal nabbed

NEPALGUNJ: A most wanted criminal Sikander Khan of Banke district’s Raniyapur VDC-5 was nabbed on Friday from Bahraich of Uttar Pradesh in India. He was involved in robberies, abductions and murders, Banke DSP Govind Ram Pariyar said. Khan was nabbed in course of a joint operation by Nepali and Indian police officials. Khan is in Bahraich police custody and was involved in the murder of Rastriya Janmorcha Nepal candidate Kamal Adhikari’s murder a few days ago and also in the murder of Harminiya resident Ram Binash Maurya some months ago. — HNS