One armyman was killed and 10 civilians abducted when Maoists launched a massive attack in Dhankuta on Tuesday evening.
According to the Directorte of Public Relations (DPR) of the Royal Nepalese Army (RNA), Maoists abducted 10 people including regional deputy administrator Prem Sapkota. The DPR also said one .303 riffle was also recovered.
Officials at the DPR said three police personnel are still out of contact following the attack. The Maoists launched a massive attack in Dhankuta targeting the district administration office, regional administration office and all security agencies in the district including the second brigade of the Royal Nepalese Army (RNA).
Three injured security personnel are undergoing treatment at the district hospital, while two soldiers were airlifted to Kathmandu for treatment.
The body of two dead Maoist was recovered from the incident site. However according to local eyewitnesses, Maoists carried away some of their dead bodies and the wounded.
According to security sources, a search operation is on to nab the fleeing Maoists.
Former Justice of the Supreme Court and one of the drafters of the 1990 constitution, Laxman Prasad Aryal, has accused the government of misusing the security law of the country currently at its worst.
Speaking at a programme in the capital on Tuesday, Aryal said, “I worked as the Justice of the Supreme Court, but I never saw such a misuse of security laws in the past,” adding, “it was, however, not unexpected because the current government was formed to suppress the people.”
Aryal said one could not expect democratic exercise by the current regime because it was formed to suppress the people.
Instead of complaining, people should fight against the King who has seized power to suppress the people, he said. He also accused the government of exercising power unconstitutionally.
Aryal was of the view that holding municipal polls in such a situation was a great joke.
Speaking at the same programme, member of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Dr Ram Dayal Rakesh said it was illegal and unconstitutional to stop people from organising peaceful assembly.
Senior Advocate Bishwa Kanta Mainali also accused the government working under the 1990 constitution of treating people according to the provisions under the 1962 Constitution.
Normal life of the Kathmandu valley has been partially affected on Wednesday, the fourth day of the seven day long Nepal Bandh (general strike) called by the Maoists.
Like in the previous three days of bandhs, shops in interior parts of the city are open; shops in major thoroughfares remained closed.
The government announced Wednesday a public holiday and banned the plying of vehicles in Kathmandu valley in the areas where polling stations are located.
In the capital on Tuesday, the third day of bandh, normal life was partially crippled with more vehicles plying on the roads and more shops opening. A sizeable number of tempos, micro-buses, taxis and minibuses were seen plying to provide service to commuters. However such vehicles were charging more money to the passengers.
12 microbuses, a pick-up van and 15 nearby houses were damaged when a bomb planted by Maoists went off at a garage in Narayantar of Jorpati-4, Kathmandu, Tuesday morning.
According to the police, the explosion took place when a bomb disposal squad of the security forces was trying to defuse the bomb.
The main market centres in Pokhara opened on Tuesday, the third day of week-long bandh called by the Maoists.
The security forces forced open the shops at Mahendrapul, Chipledhunga and Prithvi Chowk area. However, the Lakeside area remained closed.
Chief district Officer of Kaski, Madhav Raj Regmi, SP of District Police Office, Kaski, Rabi Raj Shrestha and other high-ranking officials had reached the markets to pressure the shop owners to open the shops. Only some microbuses plied on the road.
A report from Syangja said, the Syangja bazaar remained closed and peaceful.
A report from Ilam said the patients were deprived from treatment due to the bandh and obstructions placed on the road on Tuesday.
Three ambulances carrying patients from Ilam to Dharan had to return to Ilam due to the road obstructions placed by Maoists at Kiteni of Mechi Highway.
One ambulance heading towards Jhapa from Paanchthar had to return from Puwakhola due to the road obstruction placed by Maoists at Ilam-Puwakhola section of the Highway, reports quoted locals as saying.
The main markets of Ilam remained deserted on the third day of bandh as well. Transport services remained halted.
A report from Dhankuta said normal life remained paralysed on Tuesday also. Markets, academic institutions and factories remained closed.
A report from Bardiya said normal life remained crippled on Tuesday. Shortage of petroleum products was seen in Bardiya affecting students staying at the headquarters and farmers.
Locals are using the Indian route to travel to Gulariya from Nepalgunj. The bandh was without incidents, police said.
A report from Bara said the Kalaiya, Simara, Jeetpur, Nijgadh, Parwanipur and other main markets of Bara remained closed. Transport services remained halted while schools also remained closed.
A report from Tanahun said normal life was affected on the third day of Maoists’ bandh. Headquarters Damauli, Dumre, Aanbukhaireni, Kharenitar, Dulegaunda and Bhimad bazaars remained closed. Schools remained closed and transport services were halted.
The Maoists have called a week long Nepal bandh from Sunday in a bid to disrupt the municipal polls slated for Wednesday, despite heavy criticism from all walks of life.
A local resident submitting his vote at Koteshwor during the Municipal Elections being held countrywide, Wednesday, Feb 08 06. nepalnews.com/rr
Unlike previous elections, there was no crowd in the polling booths. There is heavy presence of security forces in many polling booths but only negligible number of voters were casting their votes.
There was no presence of voters in many polling booths of the capital.
Altogether 1.48 million voters are entitled to exercise their franchise in the elections to be held in 36 municipalities of 28 districts.
The government has made tight security arrangement for polling amid threats from Maoists to disrupt it and political parties’ call to actively boycott it. RNA and APF personnel are patrolling the streets.
People started casting their votes from 8:00 a.m. The voting will continue till 6:00 p. m. According to the Election Commission, the vote counting will start from Wednesday evening.
The government has declared Wednesday a public holiday in districts where municipalities are located and has banned the plying of vehicles in Kathmandu valley in the areas where polling stations are located.
Earlier, Home Minister Kamal Thapa said that security personnel have been given the authority to take toughest action against anybody trying to bar the voters from going to the polling stations or any action aimed at disrupting the elections.
When asked by media persons if the security men have been given the authority to shoot those trying to disrupt the polls, minister Thapa’s only reaction was, “Yes”.
This is the third local election being held following the restoration of multi-party democracy in 1990. The first and second local elections were conducted in 2049 BS and 2054 BS respectively.
The local elections were due to take place in 2059 BS but could not take place due to various reasons.
The EC made the provision of casting vote upon showing other identification documents such as citizenship certificates, land ownership certificates, Press Pass given by the Department of Information and ID cards issued by the offices if the people who do not have voter’s identity cards. This arrangement was made following the amendment in the Clause 34 of the Local Bodies (Election Procedures) Act, 2048 BS.
There are 40,000 polling booths throughout the country and 7,698 employees have been mobilised for the purpose, according to EC.
According to the EC, the polls will elect 34 mayors, 25 deputy-mayors, 197 Ward chairpersons, 291 Ward members and 71 women Ward members.
In some municipalities, candidates of mayors, deputy mayors, ward chairpersons, members and women members got elected unopposed. In some other municipalities where no candidates filed their candidacies the EC would unveil election programmes for these places after February 8.
The Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) has said that it has arranged shuttle bus service for tourists and other passengers arriving at and departing from Tribhuvan International Airport on Wednesday on the occasion of municipal polls.
The government banned plying of vehicles in Kathmandu valley in the areas where polling stations are located on Wednesday.
A press statement issued by the NTB said the shuttle bus starts operating from 6 a.m. till the last international flight.
The shuttle bus will operate in three different routes as follows.
Vehicle No.
Route 1
Ba 1 Kha 7867
Airport -RNAC -Newroad -Hotel Annapurna -Thamel Chowk -Lainchour Chowk- Hotel Shanker Hotel- Ambassador -Airport
Route 2
Ba 1 Pa 274
Airport -Hotel Radisson -Hotel Shangrila -Narayan Gopal Chowk -Maharajganj Chowk -Hyatt Regency -Chabahil Chowk -Hotel Dwarika- Airport
Route 3
Ba 1 Pa 275
Airport- Tinkune Chowk -Hotel Everest- Maitighar Chowk- Hotel Himalaya – Hotel Soaltee- Hotel Grand – Airport
NTB has asked concerned persons to contact its Media Center at 4225709 or Tourist Police at 4247041, if they need further information.
One suspected Maoist was shot dead while trying to set off an ambush near a polling booth in Dhangadhi municipality, Kailali, as voting for municipal seats kicked off on Wednesday morning.
Security sources said the suspected Maoist was shot and killed while trying to fix an electric wire to set off explosives near the polling booth in BP Primary School in Ward No. 10 of the municipality. The incident is yet to be verified independently.
Meanwhile, there were reports of explosions in different parts of Dhangadhi and Tikapur municipalities in the morning.
Reports from Biratnagar in Morang district said riot police and anti-election demonstrators of the seven agitating political parties clashed in different parts of the town. Protesters led by CPN (UML) leader Bhanu Koirala seized ballot papers from a polling station in Ward No. 15 of the municipality, reports added.
In the same municipality, police arrested Nepali Congress central leader and former minister Mahesh Acharya on charges of trying to disrupt the elections.
In Kathmandu, over a dozen seven-party activists were arrested from different anti-election demonstrations this morning. Voters’ turnout in various polling stations in Kathmandu Metropolitan City, Lalitpur Sub-metropolitan City and Bhaktapur Municipality was very low until 11:30 a.m.
Heavy security presence could be seen around polling stations in the Valley but there were no reports of violence during the voting.
Voting started in 33 municipalities of 28 districts around the country from 8:00 a.m.
Reports from Janakpur said that security forces have arrested a human rights activist this morning.
Advocate Thir Bahadur Karki, district president of Forum for Protection of Human Rights, has been reported arrested from Mahabir Chowk of Janakpur municipality at 11 a.m. today.
On Tuesday, some 21 human rights activists from 11 human rights groups of the city, including Karki, had said that they would be observing the situation of human rights violation during the municipal polls.
Polling is underway in 36 municipalities in 28 districts to elected 618 persons in different positions on Wednesday.
Human rights activists had announced that they would not be monitoring the polls but would be monitoring the incidences of human rights violation in the elections.
Very few voters have turned up across the country to cast their ballots for municipal elections on Wednesday.
A local resident submitting his vote at Koteshwor during the Municipal Elections being held countrywide, Wednesday, Feb 08 06. nepalnews.com/rr
According to the Election Commission, by 12:00 p. m. today, only 10 percent of the voters had cast their votes in the eastern town of Biratnagar.
In Dhanusha only 3,481 or nearly 8 percent of the voters had cast their votes by noon. Similarly, in the western town of Dailekh, only 12 percent of the voters had cast their votes.
In Malangawa municipality in Sarlahi district, voter turn out was over 35 percent by 12:00 p. m. today.
Spokesman of the EC, Tejmuni Bajracharya, told Nepalnews that situation had not been normal for voting in eastern town of Dhankuta and mid-western district of Dang for polling today. The rebels had mounted attacks at Dhankuta municipality on Tuesday night.
Visit to various polling centers in Kathmandu and Madhyapur Thimi by Nepalnews correspondents revealed that very few voters had turned out to cast their votes.
Polling officer at the Cooperatives Training Center polling booth in Kathmandu said only 203 out of 1847 voters had cast their votes by 1:00 p. m. on Wednesday.
“Unlike in the past, voters turn out this time is quite low,” he said.
At the polling center at Madhyapur Thimi municipality office, Anita—a young woman—was waiting for her friends to go for voting. “This is the first time that I am going to cast my votes,” she told us as security personnel were watching from close quarters.
There was heavy security at the polling center and security personnel were also stationed at nearby houses of local people.
Polling Officer Bed Prasad Pandey said out of 1,500 voters, only 173 had cast their votes at the center by 12:15 p. m.
He said polling was taking place for the post of Mayor only as other candidates for the Madhyapur Thimi municipality had been elected unopposed.
In the nearby Bhaktapur municipality, there was no indication of elections. Most of the seats for the municipality remained vacant while a lady has been elected unopposed to the post of mayor. “We haven’t been able to see or meet her after she was declared elected to the post,” a Bhaktapur resident told us.
Outside the polling center at Durbar high school in Kathmandu, people stopped to watch their names at the electoral roll then walked away.
Security personnel could be seen asking people if they were coming to vote.
Security has been beefed up. Army vans run frequently in streets while others vehicles are banned for today.
Altogether 1.4 million voters are eligible to cast their votes during elections being held in 36 municipalities of 28 districts. No elections are taking place in the rest 22 municipalities.
There are 40,000 election centres throughout the country and 7,698 employees have been mobilised for the purpose, according to EC.
According to the EC, the polls will elect 34 mayors, 25 deputy-mayors, 197 Ward chairpersons, 291 Ward members and 71 women Ward members.
Security personnel have taken into custody tow journalists, Dhiren Chemjong and Dharma Gautam, from Ilam municipality on Wednesday.
According to the Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ), the duo were taken into custody by the security personnel this morning as they were covering the municipal polls. No reason was given.
Both of them are affiliated to Sutradhar weekly published from Ilam.
In eastern district of Dhankuta, police have detained journalist J B Ghale Magar and Tikaram Ghimire on Tuesday. Magar is the vice president of Dhankuta district unit of FNJ while Ghimire is a correspondent with Udghosh daily.
FNJ has demanded immediate release of all the journalists detained across the country.
A Kathmandu-bound Air Sahara jet diverted to Lucknow after encountering technical problems while on final approach to Kathmandu airport on Wednesday afternoon.
Air Sahara flight 501 was 10 minutes from touchdown at Kathmandu when it had a landing flap problem and decided to divert at 3:15 p.m. local time. The 737 can carry up to 120 passengers.
Air traffic authorities said the jet’s flaps, which slow it down for landing, got stuck while being deployed.