Only Nepal Army had '36 grenade'

POKHARA, Jan 27: A preliminary investigation by police into Wednesday´s plastic grenade explosion in a godown here has found that only the Nepal Army used the ´36 grenade´.



The grenade that went off at Crystal Light House in New road, Pokhara killed the 24-year-old store keeper Raju Sunuwar, a resident of Oraste village of Syangja district. [break]



Police are investigating how the grenade reached the go-down. However, the NA has said the country suffered a decade-long conflict so it would be wrong to say that only NA is in possession of ´36 grenade´. Sources said the grenade is a powerful one.



Meanwhile, NA spokesman Ramindra Chhetri called for in-depth investigation into the blast saying such grenades do not go off without installing fuse. The grenade on Wednesday had exploded as soon as Sunuwar went inside the go-down at 12.45am.



According to Chhetri, the grenade was used by NA until some time ago. According to a police investigator, the ´36 hand grenade´ might have been looted by the Maoists during the insurgency. “The explosive could have been handed over to someone in the shop for safekeeping by armymen or the rebels,” the officer said.

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