UDAYAPUR, Nov 30: Nepali Congress (NC) parliamentary election candidate from Udayapur constituency-2 Narayan Karki has been critically injured after the vehicle he was traveling in was hit by a 'pressure cooker bomb' during his election campaign in the district on Wednesday morning. Three others who were also traveling in Karki's vehicle were also injured.
Karki was heading for Nepaltar from Katari when the explosive was hurled at the vehicle (Ba 15 Cha 7809) at around 9:30 am. The incident took place in Danuwarbesi of Udayapurgadhi Rural Municipality-6.
He has sustained injuries to his right leg and face, according to a local eyewitness Ganga Kumari Rai. The jeep's driver Rajan Karki sustained injury below his ankle. The other injured are NC worker Dhanamaya Dhaulakoti and Nepal Students' Union (NSU) leader Meera Katuwal, according to Basanta Basnet, a local NC leader.
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They have been taken to Nepaltar-based health post for treatment. As of Wednesday evening, attempts are being made to airlift them to the capital for further treatment, Basnet informed.
Superintendent of Police, Nawaraj Bhatta of the District Police Office, Udayapur, said investigation into the incident is ongoing. "We have yet to obtain further information due to difficulties in communication," he said.
Just a day before, on Tuesday, a bomb was detonated at Triyuga Municipality-10 where NC's parliamentary candidate for constituency-1 Narayan Khadka and provincial candidate of constituency 1 (b) Himal Karki were organizing a rally. Likewise, on Tuesday morning, a bomb had gone off at the house of provincial candidate Himal Karki. No one was injured in the blast at Karki's house.
Similar incidents were reported in Pyuthan district. An unidentified group detonated a petrol bomb at Baraula Tikuri of Airawati Rural Municipality-2 in the district on Tuesday night. None sustained injuries, however.
These attacks carried out right ahead of the elections are intended at creating terror among the public, said Chief District Officer Krishna Bahadur Ghimire of Udayapur.
Likewise, a bomb disposal squad of Nepal Army safely disposed seven improvised explosive devices on Wednesday in Rolpa district. The explosive devices were confiscated on November 19 from Suwarnavi Rural Municipality-5 of the district.
