KAPILVASTU, Nov 25: Dipendra Chaudhary, a youth leader and an independent candidate for the Provincial Assembly from Kapilvastu, was shot dead following a dispute with a local on Friday evening. Dipendra, 35, of Sudhodhan Rural Municipality-4 was killed near his residence along the Lawani-Hathihawa road.
Dipendra had filed his candidacy in last year’s Provincial Assembly election as an independent candidate from constituency 1-B of the district. According to the District Police Office (DPO), Kapilvastu, Dipendra received five bullets to his head. The incident occurred at around 9:30 pm. Tension ran high in Lawani area after the murder of the popular youth leader.
Irked locals vandalized the house of the alleged assassin Ajit Pandey and torched Pramila Petrol Pump. Ajit is a former chief of then Lawani VDC.
Former independent candidate Chaudhary shot dead in Kapilvastu
Dipendra’s brother Jitendra had a dispute with Ajit at Aviram liquor shop at around 9 pm. Following the dispute, Jitendra had called his brother for support. According to Jitendra, Ajit opened fire at his brother after quarrelling for some time. “He repeatedly fired bullets at my brother but I somehow managed to save fled the scene,” said Jitendra.
Jitendra said that the assailant managed to run away due to the delay in taking action by the police despite being informed about the incident on time.
The victim was rushed to Bhirahawa-based Universal Medical College but doctors pronounced him dead. Locals and relatives started staging protest after Dipendra’s body was taken to his house at 9 am on Saturday. Placing the body of Dipendra in the road, protesters obstructed the Lawani road section along the Siddhartha Highway. They have stated not to remove the body until the perpetrator is put behind the bars.
In order to take control of the situation, police fired eight rounds of bullets and 13 teargas shells.
“It is definitely a sad incident. We have arrested two suspects so far and are searching for the rest,” said Chief District Officer (CDO) Arjun Prasad Pokharel. The deceased had earlier contested in the local elections for the post of chairperson of the rural municipality from Federal Socialist Forum Nepal (Democratic) but lost. However, he was defeated by a narrow margin.
Dipendra is survived by his wife and two sons.
