Kumar Niraula, a senior assistant (Nayab Subba), working at the Inland Revenue Office in Janakpur was shot dead by cadres of the Rajan Mukti faction of Janatantrik Terai Mukti Morcha Monday morning.

Niraula, 55, was shot at point blank range near Pidari Maisthan area at around 10:30 am when he was on his way to the office, reports quoting eyewitnesses said. He was shot in the chest and died while being treated at Janakpur Zonal Hospital.

Later, a leader of Rajan Mukti group who identified himself as Abhinash telephoned local journalists and claimed responsibility for the attack, insisting that Nirauala’s activities challenged the policies of the group.

The incident comes at a time when the government has initiated negotiation with the armed outfits operating in Terai, but Rajan Mukti group is one of few armed outfits that have rebuffed government’s talks offer.

In a recent telephone interview to a Kathmandu-based TV channel, Rajan Mukti said his group had not received the government’s invitation for talks, and declared that it would not go for “meaningless talks”. nepalnews.com mk Dec 15 08