State killed 14, Maoists one, says INSEC:

Nepalgunj, January 3:

Fifteen people were killed in the mid-western region of the country during the four-month CPN (Maoist)-announced unilateral ceasefire, the Informal Sector Service Centre (INSEC) said in a statement today.

While the state killed 14 people, the Maoists killed a person during that period, the INSEC said. The government arrested 173 people on the suspicion of being Maoists, the INSEC said, adding that 93 of them were freed later.

Security personnel beat up 41 people during the period, the INSEC statement undersigned by Bhola Mahat, the regional coordinator of the INSEC, said, adding: “The government continued arresting and murdering unarmed people during the ceasefire.”

The Maoists also violated human rights during the ceasefire, the statement said, pointing that 28 people were displaced from the region due to fears of the Maoists. The Maoists beat up seven people, it said.

However, compared to the state, the Maoists committed fewer atrocities in 15 districts of the mid-western region, it said, adding that the whereabouts of 26 people, whom the Maoists had abducted from different places, have not been known yet.

The 12-point parties-Maoist agreement uplifted the morale of the people, the statement said, adding: “During the ceasefire, representatives of political parties, journalists, human rights activists, teachers, students, lawyers, professors, intellectuals, and civilians made efforts to restore civil rights.”