Former mayor shot dead in Bardiya

Unidentified assailants killed a former mayor in Bardiya district late Sunday night.

Govinda Prasad Pandey, convenor of Bardiya Civil Society Network and former mayor of Gulariya Municipality, was shot dead by a group of armed men who had barged inside his house in Khairapur-1 of Gulariya at 11:00 pm when he was sleeping. However, other members of his family were unharmed.

After learning about the attack on the former mayor, a patrolling police team passing through the area rushed Pandey to Bheri Zonal Hospital in Nepalgunj where doctors immediately declared him dead upon arrival. Police said Pandey was shot below his neck from behind.

No group has owned up the responsibility for killing Pandey yet, but police suspect one of the armed Terai outfits active in the area of carrying out the murder.

Pandey's body has been sent to district hospital in Gulariya for postmortem.

Various political parties in the district have condemned the killing of the former mayor, terming it a cowardly act.

Family sources said that Pandey's body would be cremated after taking out a funeral procession in the town.

A member of UML district committee, Pandey was actively involved in the April movement of 2006. nepalnews.com ag June 30 08