Kathmandu, March 11
An improvised explosive device went off outside an under-construction house in Manohara Phant of Bhaktapur on Wednesday morning.
The house belongs to the ruling Nepal Communist Party’s leader Gokul Baskota, who resigned as the minister for communications and information technology after being accused of negotiating a commission for the establishment of a security printing press in the country.
A section of the house’s compound wall toppled due to the explosion at around 7:45 am today. It also slightly damaged an adjacent house and a van.
“I was preparing food for the family in my kitchen when I heard a bang,” Baskota’s neighour Kapil Dev Ghimire says, “It felt like there was an earthquake. Moments later, I found my house cracked.” The explosion pulled out a door of a room on the top floor of Ghimire’s house.
Baskota was not there during the incident. He was residing in the private residence of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli during his term as the minister. After resigning also, Baskota is yet to shift to his own house.
Police suspect that the explosive was planted targeting Baskota. However, they ae yet to find who planted the explosive why. Further investigation is underway.
