Maoists threat to kill govt official in Nepal

Kathmandu, Jun 25 (UNI) Although their party is poised to form a government, local Maoist cadres have not shunned unruly behaviour and threaten to kill Chief District Officer.

''In the remote hill district of Dolpa, Maoist district committee member Rudri Budha, threatened to shoot Chief District Officer (CDO) Ramesh Chandra Adhikari when an all-party meeting yesterday was discussing the issue of permission for Nepal Telecom to operate its service,'' Kantipur reported quoting the official sources as saying.

Alleging that the CDO did not give him rice coupons and also perpetrated ''excesses'' against the Maoists, their leader Budha said he had a gun, ammunition and also a bomb and could shoot him dead instantly, it said.

''The Maoist cadre also issued a death threat to local human rights activist Ram Prasad Budha,'' the official informed.

Maoist cadres badly beat up and injured Keshar Bhandari, headmaster of Janajagaran Primary School at Aahale VDC-8 of Dhankuta district on Sunday, the paper said.

He is now receiving treatment at the district hospital.

Meanwhile, Maoists in Kailali district, who were in the news after attacking local journalists including Lakki Chaudhary a few weeks ago, attacked another journalist, Karna Kunwar, Monday evening.

After a news report was published in Tikapur Times daily about Maoist intervention in the local community forest, a group of of its cadres led by district committee member Prem Bahadur Bishwokarma attacked Kunwar. He sustained bruises on the face, stomach and chest, the paper said.

UNI XC SZ KP1305