Kathmandu: A Maoist activist has been shot dead by gunmen of a Madhesi armed group in Nepal's Terai region bordering India, sparking protest from the former rebels.
According to police, gunmen killed UCPN-Maoist
activist Rajesh Mandal in Bara district near Indo-Nepal border
yesterday.
Mandal, a member of Maoist-affiliated Bhojpur State
Committee, was shot dead by cadres of Janatantrik Madhes Terai
Mukti Morcha, a local armed group.
The attackers are still absconding.
Today, the Maoists halted traffic movement along
Birgunj-Pathalaiya section of the East-West highway as a mark
of protest against the killing.
Notably, armed rebels in the region are demanding a
separate state.
Meanwhile, Rastriya Janamorcha has called strike in
Nepal's eastern districts to protest against the federal
system of government.
Life has been affected in Okhaldhung, Khotang,
Taplejung, Bhojpur and Ilam districts due to the strike.
However, Kirat Rastriya Mukti Morcha, an ethnic group,
has retaliated against the strike in Udaypur district.
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, January 13, 2010, 15:54