Unified CPN (Maoist) activists set on fire a Kantipur Publications pick-up van carrying several thousand copies of The Kathmandu Post and Kantipur on June 6, Saturday.
As the van with number plate Ba 6 Cha 8666 arrived at Lalbhitti of Morang along the East-West Highway, some 10-12 Maoist workers took control of the vehicle on the charge of defying banda, called by Maoist ethnic front calling itself the federation of indigenous peoples. The group then took driver Hom Bahadur Moktan and accompanying employee Rajesh Bhandari under their control and set ablaze the vehicle. The copies of Post and Kantipur were burnt completely. The arsonists also looted the cell phones belonging to Moktan and Bhandari.
"About a dozen men stopped the vehicle at Lalbhitti at around 5:15 in the morning and forced us out," said Moktan. He said the attackers set the vehicle on fire saying they were waiting for the Kantipur vehicle.
The protesters, however, let a press vehicle belonging to Dharan-based Blast daily ply.
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