Nepal

Kathmandu, September 13

A person was shot at and arrested from Goldhunga for allegedly unleashing extortion terror.

A special team deployed from Metropolitan Police Crime Division opened fire at Sajan Gurung alias Najok of Dhading district as he tried to run away after seeing police, instead of turning himself in. Karjan Gurung, one of his accomplices, was also arrested.

MPCD In-charge Senior Superintendent of Police Sahakul Thapa said two bullets had hit Sajan below the knee of the left leg and was undergoing treatment at the National Trauma Centre.

He was out of danger, according to police.

Acting on a complaint lodged with police, MPCD had been trying to track Sajanwhereabouts in Kathmandu for the past few weeks. Police detected Sajanlocation in Goldhunga this afternoon and deployed the special team to the site.

He was spotted in Goldhunga-based Fulbari Cafe and the police ordered him to surrender, to investigate his involvement in extortion cases.

&But he refused to surrender and tried to flee the scene by attacking the cops. Police opened fire in self-defence,& SSP Thapa said. Officials said Sajan had also issued death threats to a high-level police official. Metropolitan Police Range had retrieved an audio clip related to the threats.

Sajan was found involved in many extortion cases and he was also accused of issuing threats to businessmen and high-profile people to boost his bargaining power. Officials said they would launch further investigation to establish if Sajan had any connection with Samirman Singh Basnet, the prime accused in the murder of construction entrepreneur Sharad Kumar Gauchan. Basent, who is languishing in the Central Jail, is said to be operating extortion racket from behind bars.

The Central Investigation Bureau of Nepal Police had recently arrested Naresh Thapa, younger brother of Minister of Home Affairs Ram Bahadur Thapa, for his alleged collusion with Basnet to extort money from businesspersons.

The post Police open fire to arrest crime suspect appeared first on The Himalayan Times.

Kathmandu, September 13

The chariot procession of the living goddess Kumari, lord Ganesha and lord Bhairav started in core city areas of Kathmandu today.

On the occasion, President Bidhya Devi Bhandari visited Basantapur Durbar Square and attended the celebration of Indra Jatra festival, marked by worshipping the living goddess. The president offered bheti to lord Ganesh and lord Bhairav, and received prasad from the priest.

Chariot procession is one of the most important events during the Indra Jatra festival, which falls on Bhadra Shukla Chaturdashi as per Nepali calendar. The eight-day festival is celebrated to honour Indra, the king of heaven and god of rain and harvest, as per Hindu mythology. Indra Jatra represents culture, history and legends of Kathmandu valley. The chariot procession was accompanied by different traditional cultural pageants and dances.

The festival officially began on September 10 by erecting a ceremonial pole, Indradhoj Linga at Basantapur Durbar Square. The chariot procession of living goddess Kumari marks special importance during the festival. Chariots carrying Kumari, Ganesh and Bhairav are pulled through the southern part of the city. A large crowd gathered at Basantapur today to express reverence to goddess Kumari.

Family members of the deceased, who passed away in the last one year, lit butter lamps and incense along the processional route. The chariot procession will continue till September 17, the final day of the festival.

Foreign dignitaries invited by Kathmandu Metropolitan City attended the festival as special guests. Mayors, deputy mayors and office-bearers of civic bodies from 10 countries arrived to observe the festival.

• Demonstrators nabbed

The post Procession of chariots marks Indra Jatra festivities appeared first on The Himalayan Times.