That an armed gang of an estimated 70 members on Friday night attacked the Syaulibang police post in Pyuthan district resulting in the death of one policeman has come as a grim reminder that the security personnel still remain targets of violence- oriented groups of people with arms at their disposal. The motive of the attack still remains a mystery, though the gang supposedly possessed modern weapons like M-16 and SMG and Insas. This is an eye-opener in the sense that the formation and movement of such an unauthorized armed group of people has not been reported earlier, though isolated incidents of the police personnel coming under attack is not new. This particular incident has come as a reminder that one or the other disgruntled group may be trying to assert itself through armed raids on security forces. This necessitates caution and extra vigilance on the part of the government.

Looking at the background, it is one of the few reported incidents in the hilly region of the country. This is despite the fact that total strikes are taking place at the call of one or the other group particularly in the Terai region of Nepal. There are dozens of armed groups in the Terai, and most of them have no political agenda but have their eyes on extortion, kidnapping and murders. It is not that the state machinery is oblivious of the Terai problem but the obstacle comes from the political parties themselves who call frequent bandhs. The recent one has been for and against the location of the integrated administrative service centres, which have been shelved for the moment by the government. It is difficult to imagine as to why the outcry ensued over a measure that is aimed at succour for those service seekers who live far from the district headquarters. The case of the extortion activity of a militant outfit came to light with the arrest a few days back of some allegedly affiliated members in Kathmandu. These few events suggest that there are problems but not the type that results in attacking the security forces.

The government has to make a thorough investigation of the incidents that have taken place and no one implicated should escape the court of law. This is important as the spread of violent attacks and violence in general can possibly have repercussions on the peace process that is gradually moving forward. There can be no complacency in dealing with armed gangs that try to compromise the law and order situation in the country. More than anything else, the criminal gangs have to be identified and severe action taken against them instead of leaving them to grow so that it becomes difficult later on to stamp them out. Therefore, the attack on the Pyuthan police post must be taken up seriously and the culprits identified and booked. All this must be done taking into consideration that state presence ought to be felt by the people in every part of the country.