Minor explosion at Rana’s house

December 17, 2004
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There has been a minor explosion at the house of a leading businessman, Prabhaker SJB Rana,  at Tahachal in Kathmandu early Friday.

According to reports, unidentified persons threw a socket bomb into the compound of Rana  early Friday causing minor damages. Nobody was injured in the incident.

A leading businessman and chairman of the Soaltee Hotel Ltd., Rana is believed to be a close confidante of HM King Gyanendra.

Police refused to provide details of the attack at Rana’s house.

Police suspect the Maoist rebels to be responsible for the incident. But a Maoist leader in the Kathmandu valley, Aditya, denied his party’s involvement in the attack, radio reports said Friday.

The Soaltee hotel had been forced to close down for nearly a month in September this year following Maoist threats. The hotel resumed operations after a pro-Maoist trade union withdrew its call for closure of dozens of industries and hotels after reaching into an agreement with the entrepreneurs with the mediation  of a group of rights activists. Mr. Rana could not be reached for comments.