Two people were killed in Bhojpur after a gun fire exchange between a stationed policeman and an unknown number of Biplav’s cadres. The two dead are police constable Sanjiv Rai and CPN cadre Nir Kumar Rai – according to police reports, the constable was forced to return fire after a member of the outlawed Chand led Maoist insurgent opened fire.
Police also confirmed confiscating a pistol from the battle scene. Nir Kumar Rai, the killed member of the outlawed organisation is said to be the Okhaldhunga in-charge of Netra Bikram Chand-led Communist Party of Nepal. The organisation is a splinter of the CPN Maoist Centre who currently form the government in a coalition with CPN UML. Leaders of CPN Maoist Centre and Neta Bikram Chand-led Communist Party of Nepal once fought shoulder to shoulder while demanding the abolition of monarchy in Nepal. They have since split citing ideological differences.
In February, 2019, amidst rising attacks by the splinter organisation, the government banned the organisation and deemed their activities illegal.
