Sudan Kirati, district chairman of the UCPN (Maoist) and former lawmaker, Hemanta Mukarung, district secretary of the Nepali Congress, and Anil Basnet, district secretary of the CPN-ML, were arrested on Tuesday on the basis of complaints lodged against them, police said.

Leaders of eight political parties, including the aforementioned three, have been accused of assaulting Khadga Poudel, secretary of Sangpang and Deurali VDCs in the latter’s office on Monday by accusing him of irregularities. It is learnt that Poudel is a district leader of the CPN-UML.

The arrestees also charged secretary Poudel of using his political clout to conduct anomalies in the VDC office.

The VDC Secretary Welfare Centre condemned the assault and downed their pen on Wednesday to protest against the incident.

The CPM-UML party condemned the incident and demanded legal action against the attackers. Deputy Superintendent of Police Basudev Khatiwada said that they have arrested Kirati, Mukarung and Basnet

“as per the directions from the higher-ups”.

He said that they have mobilised security personnel in the district to prevent any untoward incident in the wake of the arrest.

Meanwhile, Bhojpur bazaar remained tense on Wednesday following the arrest. Leader and cadres of eight political parties also chanted slogans as the market place remained closed since Wednesday

morning. The protesters

have warned that they will organise Bhojpur banda (shutdown) on Thursday unless the arrestees are released unconditionally.

Irregularities in social security allowance

DAMBAR SINGH RAI

As complaints regarding the tendency of VDC secretaries operating from district headquarters continue to persist, locals have alleged some of them of embezzling funds allocated for social security allowance.

Some of the VDC secretaries have been found forging signatures of deceased person and keeping their allowance, a local claimed. The source added that VDC secretaries had divided the amount with other officials in a bid to hush the discrepancy once it came to the limelight. It has also been found that the VDC secretaries have been keeping representatives of local political parties in their payroll.

While some VDC secretaries have been found keeping the allowances at their disposal, some have been handing out the allowance to their relatives.

Bishnu Kumar Rai, district president of Nepali Congress, alleged that the Rs 22,000 sent by the Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction through the District Development Committee (DDC) for each victim was yet to reach the village peace committee of concerned VDCs.

“The VDC secretaries have to be responsible public servants,” Rai said, adding that they should help citizens to avail state services.

Stating that complaints of irregularities had been increasing, district chairperson of UCPN (Maoists) Prithivi Dewan Kiranti suggested that the VDC should make public the list of those eligible for allowance and make the distribution process more transparent. Kiranti said that the DDC had previously denied providing the report regarding the issue.

As per the provision, citizens above 70 years of age, elderly citizens above 60 years and children under five belonging to the Dalit community, single women, physically challenged individuals are eligible for the allowance.

Local development officer Mahendra Kumar Sapkota appealed for patience since the issue ‘had to be addressed over time.’ Sapkota also said that they intended to digitise the process, making it transparent and easily accessible, adding that he had also directed VDC secretaries to return to their respected VDCs or face action.