ONCE-OVER

Leader ‘threatened’

NUWAKOT: Maoist cadres have allegedly threatened to kill CPN-UML Jiling village committee secretary Madhav Kumar Gajurel. In a release issued by UML’s Nuwakot district secretary and MP Rajendra Prakash Lohani on Thursday, Maoists Ram Chandra Dhungana and Dipak Dhungana issued a death threat against Gajurel, as he questioned Dipak who received Rs 50,000 from Jiling VDC for constructing a Chautaro but never built one. The Maoist district member Nava Raj Dhungana refuted the allegation. — HNS

Ban on parties

MAHOTTARI: Janatantrik Tarai Mukti Morcha (Jwala) has imposed a ban on political parties led by non-Madhesis in Mahottari district. The morcha’s district in-charge on Thursday claimed Tarai had disintegrated from Nepal to return to the state prior to 1774. He warned that if parties or organisations led by non-Madhesis ignored his announcement, they will be punished. — HNS

One shot dead

SARLAHI: Unidentfied armed gunmen shot dead a youth at Jhimkhola on Friday night. Inspector KP Sharma at the district police office said that Manoj Sah, a resident of India’s Sonbarsa bordering Malangawa of Nepal, was shot dead by the gang. The spot lies three kilometres north of Malangawa. — HNS

Injured cop dies

BIRATNAGAR: Sub-inspector of police at the Sunsari-based Barah Brigade Pakali, Suman Adhikari, who was critically injured in a motorcycle accident on Wednesday, died on Thursday. According to the Morang district police office, Adhikari and another sub-inspector Bhishan Sapkota were injured in the accident at Rani Customs office. However, Adhikari died undergoing treatment in the BP Koirala Institute for Health Sciences in Dharan, police said. — HNS

Bhanu Bhakta’s b’day

TANAHU: Preparations are underway to mark the 194th birth anniversary of poet Bhanu Bhakta Acharya in Chudiramgha, the poet’s birthplace. Now that a road has been constructed in the area, it will be easier for people to visit the place. Programmes will be organised from July 10 to 14 as part of the celebrations. — RSS

Moriarty meets FM

KATHMANDU: The outgoing United States ambassador, James F Moriarty, met Minister for Foreign Affairs Sahana Pradhan at Shital Niwas on Friday. Pradhan and Moriarty discussed current political situation and progress in Bhutanese refugees’ resettlement process. After the meeting, Moriarty told reporters that he has decided not to attend the king’s birthday party because that will “not be useful” at present. He reiterated that the US policy towards the Maoists has not changed. Moriarty said the resettlement of Bhutantese refugees should go ahead. — HNS

Maoists lift ban

KAPILVASTU: The CPN-Maoist on Friday revoked its ban on the use of land and property belonging to 27 households in six VDCs. Maoist district secretary Sanjeev, in a statement on Friday, said that the ban imposed on the land and property of people has been lifted as per the agreement between the eight parties. — HNS

Locals block traffic

Siraha: Locals of Mirchaiya on Friday disrupted traffic in the Ramnagar-Mirchaiya road section along Mahendra Highway for seven hours. They were demanding action against those involved in firing at two civilians last Sunday. They demanded that Sunil Paswan and Raghunath Shah be compensated and action taken against police personnel involved in the firing. Last Sunday, police had arrested chairperson of the Mohan Higher Secondary School’s management committee, Hari Kishor Mahato, and a local Santosh Shah on the charge of abducting the headmaster Ram Briksha Thakur. — HNS

Panel’s action flayed

Janakpur: Tarai-based journalists have urged the members of the Tarai Incident Probe Commission (TIPC) to be clear on the agitation. Journalists said that the use of the word event by the panel, to indicate the Madhes agitation, in its public notice has insulted the people of the region. “We have received such response in various Tarai districts,” TIPC chairperson Khilraj Regmi said, adding that the commission should be taken positively instead of splitting hairs on its use of words or phrases. — HNS

Passengers robbed

SARLAHI: A gang of 20 dacoits looted passengers of a bus at Bangalwa, some 20 km west of Malangawa, the district headquarters of Sarlahi, on Thursday night. The bus was headed to Godaita from Birgunj. The dacoits looted property worth Rs 1.50 lakh, said an inspector at the district police office, KP Sharma. Before the looting, the dacoits detonated six bombs to terrorise the passengers. — HNS