KATHMANDU: A cadre of Nepal Communist Party led by Netra Bikram Chand sustained injuries when police opened fire on him at Shiwaraj Municipality-9 of Kapilvastu district yesterday.

The wounded is identified as Durga Bahadur Rokka. The incident occurred during police attempt to raid the house of Rokka, a suspect of Ncell tower torching.

Rokka got injured as he tried to run away during police search, according to Achyut Pudasaini, Superintendent of Police. Police recovered two automatic guns, its three magazines and a Chinese pistol. Rokka, who sustained leg injuries, is undergoing treatment at Butwal Hospital.

NEPALGUNJ: Police have arrested two Indian nationals with Rs 3.5 million from Pasang Lhamu road section of Banke district.

A police team deployed from District Police Office, Banke arrested 30-year-old Rabischandra Pandey and Chhotu Tiwari of Jaminah Chhoti Bhansar, India with the aforesaid cash at Nepalgunj Sub Metropolitan City-11, said Police Inspector Dipak Malla.

Police took them under control while they were traveling on a bike with an Indian plate, UP 32 Ga 8244. Police said they are investing the case after taking them under control.

KATHMANDU: Doctors at the National Trauma Center in Kathmandu have been found to be working in connivance with medical suppliers in extorting high fees from orthopedics patients.

The center premise does not have pharmacies that sell orthopedic supplies. Private orthopedic suppliers have unchecked entry inside the center who brokers a deal with the needy patients into buying their supplies at a high rate. Doctors facilitate these suppliers by providing the details of the patients and who in turn are rewarded with sales commissions.

The center prepares the list of all patients receiving treatment at the center on a daily basis. Doctors pass the list to the representatives of orthopedic supplier companies, according to a staff at the center.

The government claims it provides treatment free of cost. However, the patients and their relatives are forced to negotiate with representatives of private medical suppliers as part of their treatment in buying orthopedic implants. Doctors as well as its staff at the center participate in the racket.

Gopal Ramtel from Dhading district, who got admitted at the center for leg injuries, complained that he had to negotiate with a representative of an orthopedic company for an iron rod to be implanted in his leg.

“The representative had demanded Rs. 30,000 for the rod. When I said that I did not have that much money he offered the rod at Rs. 25,000,” he said.

Neither the trauma victims nor their relatives have any idea of the exact price of the implants to be bought. They are forced to settle the deal decided by the representatives of orthodox suppliers.

On receiving the call, the representatives visit the center, meet the concerned patients and negotiate on the product, as informed by the doctor.

The center prepares the list of all patients receiving treatment at the center on a daily basis. Doctors pass the list to the representatives of orthopedic supplier companies, according to a staff at the center.

“At the order of senior doctors in every department, resident doctors at the center phone the representatives of orthopedics implant suppliers and avail them with the details of the patients,” said a doctor at the center.

On receiving the call, the representatives visit the center, meet the concerned patients and negotiate on the product, as informed by the doctor.

“As soon as a patient is admitted to the center, doctors present us with the list of materials required. We pay a certain amount to the doctors for the service,” said a representative Khabarhub met inside the center.

Dr. Binod Sherchan, acting director at the center admits that the representatives of orthopedic supplying companies have free access to the center. “Pharmacies in the center premise do not sell orthopedic implant materials. So, the representatives of private companies are allowed inside the center,” he clarified.

KATHMANDU: President Bidya Devi Bhandari has extended her best wishes to the entire Buddhists at home and abroad on the occasion of Gyalpo Lhosar, a new year celebrated by the Buddhists and Sherpa community in particular.

KATHMANDU: Prime Minister KP Oli, who was admitted to the Teaching Hospital this morning, has been discharged after necessary check-up.

PM Oli had undergone a regular checkup at the Manmohan Cardiothoracic Vascular and Transport Center, Maharajgunj today.

Prime Minister Oli has returned to his official residence at Baluwatar, according to PM’s secretariat.

KANCHANPUR: Nepali Congress vice president Bijay Kumar Gachchhadar has said that even though the government’s slogan ‘Prosperous Nepal, Happy Nepali’ is admirable, implementing it is challenging.

Speaking at a press conference in Kanchanpur today, Gachchhadar, however, blamed the government of failing to move towards that end. He said it is not possible to fulfil the government’s dream if it continued to move ahead in the current manner.

KATHMANDU: The Meteorological Forecasting Division today said that the weather in the country’s hilly region would be affected as the pre-monsoon holds sway for three months.

It said the three months — March, April and May – will be affected by the weather in most parts of the hilly region.

According to the Division, the pre-monsoon has already begun. Local winds have started to have its influence.

The Division has further said that rainfall will take place for short period of time. It said some areas of the Kathmandu Valley will witness rainfall.

KATHMANDU: Irked by the government’s ‘working style and apathy’ towards the party, the Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal (RJP-N) today withdrew its support to the KP Oli-led government.

A meeting of the party’s presidium held today in Kathmandu made the decision soon after the Kailali District Court gave its verdict on Tikapur incident, Rajendra Mahato, leader of RJP-N told Khabarhub.

The third largest party in the House of Representatives (HoR), the RJP-N withdrew its support to the government expressing discontent over the government’s indifference.

The district court sentenced RJP-N lawmaker Resham Chaudhary and 10 others to life imprisonment.

The RJP-N had been pressing the Oli government to withdraw the case filed against its lawmaker Chaudhary, the alleged key schemer of the Tikapur carnage of August 2015.

To recall the Tikapur incident, eight police personnel, including an SSP of Nepal Police, and a toddler were lynched during a protest rally organized by the Tharus of Tikapur expressing disenchantment over the constitution draft in August 2015.

The third largest party in the House of Representatives (HoR), the RJP-N, having 25 seats, withdrew its support to the government expressing discontent over the government’s indifference and the latter’s failure to address their concern.

The party had been expressing disenchantment over the government alleging the latter of not heeding to the voices raised by the party, including the agenda of constitution amendment.

The party has said it would not go to the people while terming the court’s decision “unacceptable”.

The RJP-N said it lent its support to the Oli government to ensure a stable and strong government. “The government repeatedly ignored our voices,” Mahato said.

The party has also accused the government for failing to nab the criminals, including those involved in the rape and murder of Nirmala Pant of Kanchanpur.

Even though the party supported Prime Minister Oli to win the vote of confidence in the parliament in March 2018, it did not join the government.

KATHMANDU: Nepal Army (NA) have recovered a 9 mm pistol from the helicopter crash site in Tarebhir of Taplejung district.

The pistol, which was carried by Arjun Ghimire, the bodyguard of the late Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Rabindra Adhikari, had gone missing in the crash site.

A team of Nepal Army recovered three magazines, three bullets and a mobile phone from the site.

A helicopter belonging to Air Dynasty crashed at Tarebhir in Taplejung on February 28, killing all seven people on board.