Two motorcycle-borne assailants shot dead Durga Tiwari, district chairman of CPN-UML-affiliated Youth Association Nepal (YAN), at Devdaha Municipality-8 in Rupandehi district on Monday.

Tiwari who had received bullet injuries on his left abdomen died while undergoing treatment at Devdaha Medical College, said DSP Mukunda Marasini.

The assailants who were on a red Bajaj Pulsar motorbike had opened fire on Tiwari at around 3pm, said police. He is survived by wife and two daughters.

Tiwari, 36, was attacked last year as well. But he had survived the attack, as he had managed to dodge the bullet then.

DSP Marasini said security personnel had immediately reached the incident site. “We have launched investigation,” he said. “We have sealed border points and search is on to find the attackers,” said the police officials.

Tension ran high in Butwal following the incident, as UML activists took to the streets to protest against the murder. They also disrupted vehicular movement through Butwal from 6pm. YAN has announced banda in Lumbini zone on Tuesday.

The UML has termed the murder a “political vendetta”.

Tiwari was in brick business and had led protests against the constitution amendment bill. Shiva Subedi, UML district chairman, said Tiwari was killed to “foil the protest launched by the UML against the amendment bill that seeks to split Province 5”.

According to police, Manoj Rana Pun, against whom a complaint was filed in connection with last year’s attack on Tiwari, had telephoned some locals and Tiwari’s relatives, saying he “masterminded the murder”. 

But according to locals, Pun, who also hails from Devdaha, is out of the country for the last six months. Tiwari and Pun, both YAN members, were close friends and were involved in various business ventures together till four years ago, said locals. They parted ways after the party took action against Pun for his involvement in criminal activities.

The suspect, it is learnt, claimed that he planned Tiwari’s murder because the latter attempted to frame his friends on various pretexts.

“The motive of the crime is not clear yet,” said SP Rabindra Singh Dhanuk. Preliminary investigation suggests Tiward could have been killed over some financial dealings.”

UML condemns murder, demands probe

KATHMANDU: The main opposition CPN-UML on Monday condemned the murder of a leader of one of its sister wings, terming it “an attack on patriotic Nepalis”. Durga Tiwari, district chairman of UML-affiliated Youth Association Nepal, was shot dead in Devdaha Municipality on Monday afternoon. Issuing a press statement, UML General Secretary Ishwor Pokharel demanded that the government immediately start investigation to bring the guilty to book. “A youth leader has been murdered just when the prime minister and home minister are speaking against the UML and people who are protesting... This is an attack on patriotic Nepalis,” the statement read. Tiwari was actively involved in the protests against the government move of registering a constitution amendment proposal at the Parliament Secretariat.