Maoists thrash NC, UML workers in rural Nepal

Amid the Maoist threat to take to the streets after resignation of Prime Minister Prachanda, the former rebels have attacked members of other political parties in some districts of Nepal.  Prachanda resigned on May 4 after his Maoist government's decision to sack the army chief Chief Rukmangad Katawal was scuttled by President Ram Baran Yadav, deepening the political crisis and raising the specter of renewed rebel unrest in the country. 

 CPN-Maoist workers thrashed workers of NC and the CPN-UML in Ramechhap and Rolpa districts. The Maoists Ramechhap district committee has ordered activists belonging to NC and UML to leave their village by Saturday. The Maoists have also attacked the local party workers and threatened to take further action against them if they did not leave the village of eastern Nepal, according to party sources. 

They also attacked NC cadres, who were holding peaceful protest programmes in Rolpa district in western Nepal. Over a dozen NC workers including district committee member of the NC Sher Bahadur Rokka were injured in the incident. Former Maoist ally UML, which had withdrawn support due to differences over the move to sack the Army Chief, is trying to form a new government with the support of NC, the second-largest party in Parliament.