Kathmandu, April 8, 2008

Akin to a Bollywood masala movie, friends of an undertrial accused of murders and robberies attacked the policemen who were bringing him back to Dillibazar jail from a hospital and freed him this afternoon.

Police said Sukre Tamang, who had been in judicial custody, escaped when a group of 10 armed persons opened fire at the policemen escorting him at Kalikasthan. He was being brought back to the jail from the Nepal Eye Hospital, Tripureshwor, at around 12:55 pm. Sources, however, said there were not as many armed men as claimed by the police, and Tamang was not handcuffed when the gang attacked the police. “Involvement of police is suspected in the incident,” the source said.

SSP Upendra Kant Aryal at the Metropolitan Police Crime Division (MPCD) didn’t confirm that the policemen were involved in the incident but hinted at the dubious role of the police personnel. “Those who were providing security to Tamang are also under investigation,” he said.

According to the police, there were three police personnel led by head constable Krishna Bahadur Kunwar in the van. Tamang jumped off the van when the gang started firing. Kunwar sustained injury in his hand and is undergoing treatment in Bir Hospital, the police added. Police followed Tamang for nearly 200 metres and shot him in the leg, but he managed to escape in a cab, the home ministry said.

MPCD had arrested Tamang in May charging him with two murders, including the murder of Mahendra Khadka at Galaxy Discotheque.

Election Commission admits it erred

Kathmandu, April 8, 2008

The Election Commission today said the National Human Rights Commission can observe Constituent Assembly elections without any EC passes.

Writing a letter to the Ministry of Home Affairs to issue a circular to the security agencies to let the NHRC staffers observe polls, the EC rectified its mistake today. “We have got a copy of the letter sent to the Ministry of Home Affairs by the EC, which directs authorities to issue circulars to the security agencies not to impose any restrictions on our staffers,” NHRC secretary Bishal Khanal told this daily. NHRC got EC letter through fax. Before sending the letter, EC spokesperson Laxman Bhattarai said the EC had not been preventing distribution of the passes to NHRC. “The passes are being distributed by the District Administration Office,” Bhattarai said.

Citing the Interim Constitution of Nepal, 2007 the NHRC yesterday stated that it would observe polls without EC passes, as the NHRC does not require anyone’s permission to monitor the rights situation.

Earlier, the NHRC had written to the EC, the Home Ministry and the Inspector Generals of Nepal Police and Armed Police Force not to prevent the staffers of the NHRC from observing polls.