MJF cadres beaten up

BHAIRAHAWA: Maoist cadres disrupted a protest programme organised by the Madheshi Janaadhikar Forum (MJF), Rupandehi, in Bhairahawa on Thursday. They beat up MJF cadres Chandrika Yadav and Mahendra Yadav and chased other MJF cadres. “The Maoists exhibited their real character by beating us,” Chandrika said. “We had called MJF cadres not to organise programmes that upset communal harmony but they went ahead with such a programme so we disrupted it,” a Maoist leader, Ghanashyam Yadav, said. — HNS

One killed; 22 injured

Bardiya: One person was killed and 22 injured when a passenger bus (Na 2 Kha 4661) heading to Kathmandu from Tikapur met with an accident at Neulapur area of East-West Highway in Bardiya on Thursday. Raj Kumar Dangi, 25, of Dhikapur (Dang) was killed in the accident, police said, adding, the injured are being treatment in Kohalpur. — HNS

Rhino found dead

RATNANAGAR: A male rhino was found dead in the Icharni forest on the eastern sector of the Chitwan National Park on Wednesday. A patrol team from the park had found the rhino with its horn and hoofs intact. A source at the park claimed that the rhino had died a natural death. It said the team has recovered horn and hoofs of the rhino. — RSS

Contracts signed

KATHMANDU: Rural Access Programme (RAP) has decided to assign seven contractors to expedite the construction of 92 km Hile - Bhojpur feeder road, the only road to connect the district. A memorandum to this effect was signed on Thursday between the RAP and the contractors. Rishi Wagle, procurement manager at the RAP said the construction work should be done smoothly

as the project will phase out by April, 2008. The construction work had begun in March 2004 adopting labour based environment friendly approach. — HNS

Concern over arrest

KATHMANDU: Bhutan News Service (BNS) and the Third World Media Network (TWMN) have on Thursday raised serious concern over the arrest of Shantiram Acharya by Bhutanese security personnel on the charges of being a Maoist. BNS has claimed that Acharya, who was a Bhutanese refugee at the Beldangi refugee camp, was also a journalist working for different local newspapers in the camps as well as with Purba Sandesh, a vernacular daily of Jhapa. The statement has denied Acharya of being a Maoist or having any affiliation with any political party of Bhutan. — HNS

NC leader quits

POKHARA: Nepali Congress Mahasamati member and the NC Mustang district committee member, Hem Bahadur Gauchan (Basanta) on Thursday resigned from his posts saying for not involving the Bhote community in the Legislative-Parliament. He said this in a press statement issued on Thursday. — HNS

One Tibetan held

SINDHUPALCHOWK: Citizenship distribution team deployed to distribute citizenship on Thursday took control over a Tibetan and handed him over to the police. He was trying to take citizenship certificate by producing false details. Tibetan person Chheden tried to take citizenship certificate from the citizenship distribution team mobilized in Votang VDC in Sindhupalchowk, DAO said. “Chheden who has been living as a refugee in Bouddha, Kathmandu tried to take citizenship certificate with false name Nirmal Tamang making Pemba Tamang of Votang-4 as his father,” CDO, Jeevan Prasad Oli said. Chief of citizenship distribution team Rajendra Prasad Sijapati handed over Chheden to police. — HNS