By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS
Kathmandu : With 62 days left for a crucial election and a deep political crisis gripping Nepal after the Maoist guerrillas quit the government and pledged to oppose the polls, the security situation continued its downward spiral with five politicians being abducted in the south of the country.
Two politicians belonging to Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala’s Nepali Congress party, a third from the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist – the second-largest party in the coalition government – and two more local leaders where abducted from Bishrampur village in Rautahat district, that has been one of the most violence-prone spots in the Terai plains.
Though there were no immediate claims of responsibility, the abductions are suspected to be the handiwork of a band of former Maoists, the Janatantrik Terai Mukti Morcha led by former senior Maoist leader Jay Krishna Goit, who has warned he would oppose the Nov 22 elections.
The kidnappings come as the toll in clashes in another southern district continue to rise.
While the official media said at least 14 people were killed in the violence in Kapilavastu district triggered Sunday by the murder of a local strongman, an independent daily Thursday put the death toll at 23.
Kapilavastu district continued to remain under curfew four days after a spate of arson, looting and lynching by a frenzied mob after Abdul Moit Khan, a politician who enjoyed the blessings of the palace as well as prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala’s Nepali Congress party, was shot dead Sunday.
Soon after King Gyanendra seized power with the help of the army in 2005, Khan led a vigilante group in Kapilavastu that began attacking Maoists, killing at least 12 people.
His murder triggered retaliatory attacks by his supporters resulting in over 100 vehicles and 300 houses being torched.
It is feared that the toll could rise further as people are still missing.
Richard Bennett, the chief of the Office of the UN Human Rights High Commissioner in Nepal, who was on a tour of the violence-hit districts, was reported as saying that neither the government nor political parties made an effort to help the victims.
Hundreds of long-distance passengers remained stranded in the region.
The Koirala government, now preoccupied with trying to woo the Maoists back into the government, ignored the tragedy.
Though the leaders of the seven parties in the ruling alliance held reconciliation talks with the Maoist leadership Wednesday, the rebels have refused to budge from their demands.
They are calling for the abolition of monarchy through parliament before the election and for adopting a fully proportional electoral system.
Though Koirala had earlier ruled out conceding either demand, the premier is now under mounting pressure from the other parties, Nepal’s civil society as well as the international community.
Japan and Britain have urged that the election be held in a free and fair manner, which would be impossible if the Maoists oppose the exercise.
A segment of the guerrillas are also demanding a no-trust motion against Koirala in parliament.
Wednesday’s talks between the eight parties failed to reach an understanding, creating fears that the election could be postponed a third time.