Itahari, August 9, 2007

Ten persons, including five police personnel, were injured when locals clashed with cadres of the Sanghiya Limbuwan Rajyaprisad (SLR) and the Khumbuwan Rastriya Morcha (KRM) at Khorsanechowk of Indrapur in Morang today.

The critically injured Yogendra Subba, Tirha Limbu and Dilli Maden are undergoing treatment in the Dharanbased BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences. The clash occurred as the 16 districts in the eastern region observed the third day of the bandh called by the SLR and the KRM. Five police personnel, including DSP Bidhyananda Majhi and inspector Shamsher Rai, were hurt in the clash, inspector at the Belbari Area Police Office Mahendra Thapa said.

Meanwhile, the Morang district administration office imposed an indefinite curfew in Indrapur VDC and adjoining areas from 8 pm today, Morang CDO Madhav Regmi said. Locals of Khorsane alleged that cadres of the KRM rode on motorbikes but barred the public from plying vehicles. They beat up two KRM cadres who were heading for Itahari from Letang.

After the incident, SLR and KRM cadres from Itahari and Damak, armed with khukuris, iron rods, spears and sticks, arrived at the site in five buses, closed Khorsane bazaar, threw stones at the public and vandalised houses and shops.

Police charge Maoists roughed up cops

Nuwakot, August 9, 2007

Maoists today attacked three policemen at the police post at Phikuri-4 in Nuwakot and made off with weapons, police said.

“A group of 23 persons led by Maoist district committee member Raj Kumar Regmi, alias Sandesh, overpowered three policemen on duty at the post at around 3 pm and looted all the weapons,” DSP Dhiraj Pratap Singh at the district police office said. He added that there were eight policemen under assistant sub-inspector Ramashish Barai at the police post when the Maoists reached the site.

The Maoists looted a pistol, 14 live pistol bullets, two rifles and 100 rifle bullets, Singh said. The Maoists narrated a false story to five policemen, including ASI Barai, that some people had been killed in neighbouring Bhalche VDC. The cops immediately rushed to the VDC. The Maoists then looted the weapons after overpowering head constable Chabilal Bhatt and constables Jitendra Tamang and Manoj Gurung. They trussed up the three and beat them up, police said.

The police post was reinstated after renting the house of a local, Sanjaya Sharma, on January 9. This is the first instance of Maoists looting weapons from a police post after they signed the peace accord. The Maoist district leadership issued a statement saying that today’s act by the group led by Sandesh was “shocking.” Maoist district in-charge Kumar Dahal, alias Bijaya, said in the statement that the incident was against the policy and programmes of the party.