A district leader of the Communist Party of Nepal died on Thursday when police opened fire on a group of cadres of the Netra Bikram Chand-led outfit at Lalbandi of Sarlahi.

According to the police, security personnel opened fire in retaliation after a group of four persons on two motorcycles, heading towards Sindhuli via Lakhandehi Jungle in Lalbandi, fired shots during a security check.

The deceased has been identified as Kumar Paudel, Sarlahi district in-charge of the Chand outfit.

Police acted in retaliation after the Chand cadres opened fire on security personnel, said DIG Bishwaraj Pokharel, spokesperson for Nepal Police.

Police have recovered a revolver from Paudel. Others managed to flee the scene, said the police.

In March, branding the Communist Party of Nepal as a criminal outfit, the government had announced a ban on all its activities. The move followed two explosions in as many weeks in the Capital. One person had died and two others were injured in an explosion in February at Nakhhu.

Last month, four persons, who were later identified as cadres of the Chand outfit, died when cooking gas cylinders which they were trying to improvise as explosive devices went off.

Over the past few months, police have arrested hundreds of cadres of the Chand outfit from different parts of the country.