Pokhara/Nawalpur, February 23

Unidentified groups set Ncell towers at different parts of the country on fire last night.

Ncell tower located at Badahare Danda of Pokhara Metropolitan City-27 was torched at around 10:00pm yesterday.

The tower was partially damaged as locals and police personnel from Sishuwa Police Office doused the fire. The tower was set ablaze by spraying kerosene. Cable wires have been destroyed in the blaze.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Rabindraman Gurung said they could not exactly ascertain the damage until technicians inspected the site. With Ncell tower damaged, telephone and internet services have been disrupted in Pokhara’s Lekhnath area after the tower was set on fire.

As many as four repeater towers of Ncell were torched at different places in Myagdi. Towers at Jhamkili Sele of Beni Municipality-3, Barjajhankrepani of Mangala Rural Municipality-3, Jhinko Todke of Raghuganga Rural Municipality-5 and Niskot of Malika Rural Municipality-1 were set on fire in the district. The work on collecting the details of the damage is under way, police said.

Similarly, Ncell tower located in Dhakari Rural Municiplaity-3, Achham, was also torched. Mobile phone service has been disrupted after the blaze.  According to DSP Janak Bahadur Shahi, around two metre cable was gutted. “Preliminary investigation showed that Netra Bikram Chand-led Nepal Communist Party might have set the towers on fire,” DSP Shahi said. He said that police personnel had been deployed to maintain security in the district.

Likewise, Ncell tower located at Pipaladi of Suklaphant Municiplaity-3 was also set on fire in Kanchanpur. Tower’s wire and meter box were  gutted in the blaze. Deputy Superintendent of Police Krishna Ojha at the District Police office, Kanchanpur, said police had found a pamphlet reading that Ncell had not paid Rs 70 billion tax and had violated the Supreme Court’s verdict. “The action is symbolic and if it is neglected we shall take stern action,” the pamphlet warns.

A group of around four people torched Ncell tower at Mahamandal of Bidur Municipality, Nuwakot.

Police said miscreants had broken open the lock of the Ncell gate, sprinkled engine oil and set the tower on fire. Police said they were collecting details of the damage.

Ncell tower in Amrarama of Madhyabindu Municipality, east Nawalparasi, was also torched. DSP Lilaraj Lamichhane said the tower was set on fire at 9:00 pm.