CHITWAN: Five hundred forty-six Maoist combatants,

including 135 females, are appearing in the

SLC examination that started today.

According to the District Education Office, 50 combatants, who had filled the examination forms, did not appear in the exam. All the combatants had studied in the Janasainik open school. According to the DEO, the PLA fighters are appearing for the exam from the Chaturmukhi Secondary School Shaktikhor and Prithivi Secondary School in Jutpan.

Govinda Bahadur Batala, assistant commander of a Maoist division who is in Bharatpur jail, is also appearing in the examination.

Batala is in jail on charges of murdering a Kathmandu based businessmen Ramhari Shrestha.

He said he is sitting for the exam this time around 15 years after he left his studies.

According to the District Education Office, Chitwan, 10,461 students including regular and exempted ones are writing the exam this year. A total of 9,762 are regular students.

There are 36 exam centres in the district. District Education Officer Gopalkrishna Poudel said the examination today was peaceful.