Nepalgunj / Kathmandu, May 15

The Rastriya Prajatantra Party’s candidate for ward chairperson Dhanrup Batala, 45, was killed in police firing at Narharinath Rural Municipality in Kalikot last night. Police opened fire after Netra Bikram Chand-led CPN Maoist activists tried to loot ballot boxes. Three persons were injured in the incident.

Maoist cadres had tried to loot ballot boxes while they were being transferred from Nandadevi Secondary School polling station in Malkot to a safe place.

Kalikot CDO Giridhari Subedi said Batala, who was Ward No 6 chair candidate, breathed his last while being rushed to Surkhet for treatment.

Cops opened fire to foil attempt to loot ballot boxes

Subedi claimed that Maoist cadres has attacked police near the polling booth, forcing police to open fire to protect ballot boxes.

DIGP Bijayalal Kayastha at Mid-western Regional Police Office said the injured were airlifted to Surkhet-based Mid-western Regional Hospital for treatment.

Spokesperson for Nepali Army Brigadier General Jhankar Bahadur Kadayat told THT that Batala succumbed to injuries at 1:30am and security personnel took his body to the district headquarters for post-mortem. Brig Gen Kadayat said bad weather and difficult terrain had hampered attempts to airlift the injured people last night.

According to him, the incident happened when security personnel were trying to defuse sutali and socket bombs at a polling centre in Malkot of Kalikot last evening after the polling was over. According to him security personnel used force in retaliation after cadres of the CPN M attacked them, looted ballot boxes and set the boxes on fire.