Kathmandu, June 24
Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa has insisted that Kumar Paudel, a leader of the Netra Bikram Chand ‘Biplav’-led Maoist party, was killed in a police encounter last week.
Responding to lawmakers’ concerns and queries at a meeting of the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee in Parliament on Monday, the minister denied accusations that his murder was extrajudicial as claimed by some lawmakers.
“One person was killed on the spot when police opened fire in retaliation after four persons riding two motorbikes opened fire on police,” Thapa told the meeting, adding one person died whereas three others fled the scene.
The Minister further added that Paudel was involved in extorting money from local businesses and issuing death threats to them.
Earlier, speaking at the panel’s meeting on Sunday, ruling Nepal Communist Party leader Janardan Sharma had suspected that Paudel was not killed in an encounter, but murdered intentionally. Following that, the panel had decided to summon Thapa over the issue.
