The District Administration Office has heightened security in the northern part of Morang district in the wake of the murder of a school principal in Miklajung.

Four police units have been set up in the area owing to the growing presence of the Netra Bikram Chand-led Communist Party of Nepal.

“Security has been tightened in the northern part of the district to curb criminal activities,” said Superintendent of Police Santosh Khadka.

Activists from the Chand party had abducted Rajendra Kumar Shrestha, 54, from his residence at Barkhe in Miklajung Rural Municipality-1 and murdered him on December 8. Shrestha was the principal of Saraswati Basic School in Ramite of the rural municipality. The party’s Mechi-Koshi bureau said in a statement that the party ‘took action’ against Shrestha as retaliation for being an informant to the police and helping them in the arrest of party leaders and cadres.

According to Khadka, a security base camp was set up at Aaitabare in Miklajung soon after the killing.

“Fifteen security personnel of the Nepal Police and 30 of the Armed Police Force are currently stationed at the base camp to investigate the incident and arrest those involved in the killing of Shrestha,” he said.

Khadka said that three other police units have also been set up at Phadani Budhabare of Letang Municipality, Chetariya of Gramthan Rural Municipality and Hansanga of Pathari Shanishchare Municipality. According to him, nine security personnel are posted at Phadani Budhabare while seven each at Chetaria and Hansanga.

“We are preparing to set up another police unit in the Jephale area as well,” he said.

The Chand-led party has been active in Ramite, a remote area in Miklajung that shares its borders with Ilam, Panchthar and Dhankuta districts, in recent times owing to its geographical location and the absence of security forces. The nearest security forces are stationed in Urlabari which is some 30 kilometres from the rural municipality.

“The villagers could not even come out of their houses for about a week after the killing. Things are finally getting back to normal after the establishment of a security base camp at Aaitabare,” said Nara Bahadur Rai, the ward chairman of Miklajung-1.

However, it’s been three weeks since the incident and security personnel have yet to detain anyone involved in the abduction and subsequent murder of Shrestha.

“Search for the assailants is going on. We will bring the guilty to book soon,” said SP Khadka