SENIOR POLITICAL LEADER GOVINDA PRASAD UPADHAYA DEAD Kathmandu, 22 Jan.: Govinda Prasad Upadhaya died Tuesday while undergoing treatment at hospital in the capital.. He founded Nepal’s first political party Praja Parishad with Tanka Prasad Acharya, Ram Hari Sharma and some other leaders. He was jailed by Ranas at 16 years of age. Nnnn CAPITAL’S MORNING TEMPERATURE 2 DEGREES CELSIUS Kathmandu, 22 Jan.: The capital’s minimum temperature at seven in the morning Tuesday was 2 degrees Celsius. Mercury is expected to rise to 19 degrees Celsius in the afternoon.. nnnn RCT PLAYS SHANKATA IN FOOTBALL LEAGUE Kathmandu, 22 Jan. RCT plays Shankata in the martyrs memorial A division football league championship Tuesday at Dashrath Rangashala. Bansbari and Baudha, both relegated to B division, play in another match. nnnn ABDUCTORS DEMAND $100,000 IN BIRATNAGAR Kathmandu, 22 Jan.: Police today confirmed industrialist Ganga Bishan Rathi of Biratnagar, who went on missing on January 11, has been kidnapped, The Himalayan Times reports from Biratnagar. . According to family source, kidnappers have demanded a ransom of USD one lakh to free kidnapped Rathi. Police source have also confirmed that kidnappers demanded the ransom through telephone. Preliminary investigation has revealed that Rathi might have been held in captivity by people who were in regular transaction with him as they have demanded the ransom in dollars. Eastern Regional Police Office, Biratnagar, DIG Parshuram Khatri said they cannot give the details about the investigation as it might affect the probe process. DIG Khatri, however said teams of Indian Embassy, Police Central Investigation Bureau along with other district level teams have been mobilised to search of the kidnapped industrialist Rathi. “We will rescue Rathi within some days,” he said, adding, “We cannot tell more than this at this point of time.” He went to add, “The telephone number used by the kidnappers cannot be identified, as police got the information very late.” Rathi used to import mustard from Bangladeshi exporters. He has to clear the dues in billion of rupees to the Bangladeshi exporter. The same exporters had called him to Siliguri, India, to discuss about the same transaction. Source said when discussion with Rathi did not reach any agreement then they might have taken the industrialist into their captivity. Police have started searching Rathi after his eldest son Haribansha filed an FIR and requested for his search last Friday. Just after the registration of FIR police had sent Rathi’s photograph to all the offices. Rathi had left home on January 10 in his car telling that he had to attend a meeting on Kakadbhitta, and since then he is out of contact with family from January 11. nnnn SIX MORE MAOISTS INVOLVED IN JOURNALIST MURDER Kathmandu, 22 Jan.: At the end of the investigation to the brutal killing of journalist Dekendra Thapa, police today said six more Maoist cadres were directly involved in the murder of journalist, Pushkar Thapa writes in The Himalayan Times from Dailekh. . After the interrogation of arrested murder accused, police confirmed that altogether 15 Maoists were direct involved in the Thapa’s murder. Earlier, it was said only nine persons were involved in the murder case. “It has come to light that six more then CPN-Maoist activists were involved in Thapa’s killing,” police said. Of the nine persons arrested, names of the four have been made public. Police, however, have not made public names of six other persons to keep possible influence into the investigation at bay. Sources said police personnel in civvies have been deployed in different districts to arrest the 10 absconding murder accused. According to investigation officer Inspector Binod Sharma, three persons were held on abduction charges, two on keeping journo hostage, nine on meting out torture and one on charges of issuing order. “Six murder accused are living in Kailali, Banke, Bardiya, Surkhet and Kathmandu,” Sharma added. He went on to say that the arrest of the murder accused was delayed as they were outside Dailkeh. Meanwhile, the Civil Society Dolakha said the Central Investigation Bureau (CID) might not have helped police to arrest the murder accused due to political pressure. Police have failed to arrest murder accused Bam Bahadur Khadka (Arun), Bam Bahadur Khadka (Mukti), Keshav Khadka and Bhaktiman Lamichhane though they are roaming freely. Dailekh Police Office has deployed a special police team outside the districts to arrest the murder accused. Police have already arrested Maoist cadres Lakshiram Gharti, Harilal Punmagar, Bir Bahadur KC, Nirak Bahadur Ghartimagar and Jay Bahadur Shahi for their involvement in Thapa’s murder. Police have completed interrogating them. Then CPN-Maoist activists had burned Radio Nepal’s Dailkeh correspondent Dekendra Thapa alive some eight years ago. Meanwhile, a police team that reached Dailekh’s Naumule area has started collecting evidences. Police team led by Inspector Binod Sharma has begun field observation after the end of recording statements of Maoist cadres arrested for murdering journalist Thapa. It has been said the police team will make field investigation for three days. The team will gather evidences from the eye witnesses. Inspector Sharma said they would record the statements of people living near the Nepal National Primary School, and the place where he was buried. “We will gather evidences of how Thapa was abducted, tortured and murdered, and prepare comprehensive report on the murder,” Sharma added. He said they were recording the statements of people from the places where Thapa was held hostage and where he was murdered. nnnn.