Maoists halt govt work

RAMECHHAP: Maoist activists in Ramechhap on Monday halted work in all government offices in the district to press the district administration to fulfil their demands. The Maoists led by district in-charge Rajan forced the employees in the government offices to halt work, without giving any prior notice. The Maoists also padlocked the main gate of the district court. No untoward incident occurred, acting CDO Dhirendra Baniya, said. — HNS

Man beaten to death

TANAHUN: Thirty-five-year-old Suk Bahadur Thapa of Byas municipality was beaten to death by Sukum Shrestha and his brother Kanchha Shrestha on Sunday. Thapa, who was critically injured in the incident, died while undergoing treatment at the Gandaki Hospital in Pokhara, the District Police Office in Tanahun said. Shrestha brothers who thrashed Thapa after an argument were arrested and action has been initiated against them, police said. — HNS

Kanchanpur bandh

DHANGADHI: The general strike called by the CPN (Maoist) Kanchanpur committee began on Monday. The organisers are demanding that the cadres arrested after the incident in the district administration office on May 15 be freed. Some shops were open, but the pro-Maoist bodies forcefully downed the shutters. — HNS

Passengers stranded

Phidim: Transport entrepreneurs in Panchthar on Monday padlocked the bus counter here as a counter move after office-bearers of the transport entrepreneurs association in Jhapa’s Mechi, Mechi Pahadi and Kankai locked up the Birtamod-based Panchthar transport counter demanding that minibuses and taxis operated by Panchthar Yatayat should also run under the dial system like the big passenger coaches. Hundreds of passengers were stranded en route after Panchthar transport entrepreneurs locked the counter. — HNS

Health project

Kathmandu: The UN Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA), Nepal, on Monday launched a project to deliver mobile reproductive health service in six districts of the far-western and the mid-western region. The year-long project aims to organise 48 three-day health camps in the six districts serving 25,000 women of reproductive age, men and adolescents affected by the conflict. — HNS

20 houses looted

SIRAHA: A gang of armed dacoits on Monday morning looted 20 houses in Kushaha Laxminiya VDC of Siraha district and made off with property worth Rs 1.5 million. The gang of 20 dacoits looted houses belonging to Digambar Das, Radha Krishna Das and 18 others, stated the Sukhipur area police office. — HNS

Downtrodden’s plea

Kathmandu: The Nepal Backward Class Federation has said it would put forth a three-point demand during talks with the government’s talks team. The talks will be held on Tuesday. Enumerating the three-point demand, Bharat Prasad Mahato, coordinator of the federation’s talks team, on Monday urged the government to establish an academy for the Backward Class, broadcast news on the Magahi language through the Radio Nepal and form a commission for the establishment of a Federal Loktantrik Republican Madhes. — HNS

Man robbed

BARA: A gang of 15 persons on Sunday night beat up Mohan Panjiyar of Belawa-7 in Parsa district at Chhatapipra VDC in Bara and robbed him of Rs 45,000, police said. — HNS