Fifty combatants join Yadav's fold

Fifty youths who joined the 'reconstituted' CPN (Maoist) party on Thursday were former Maoist combatants who had rebelled from various cantonments of People's Liberation Army (PLA) in the country, said CPN (Maoist) leader Matrika Yadav.

When the announcement of their formal entry into the new party was being made by organizing a press conference at the party's headquarter in Nakhipot, Lalitpur, police had created a security cordon outside the party office premises, Kantipur Daily reported.

Apparently, on the 'orders from above' police were trying to arrest the dissenting former Maoist combatants as they had violated the Comprehensive Peace Accord by leaving the cantonments they were kept in without seeking permission of their seniors. However, police refrained from arresting the combatants.

Because of the police intervention, the pre-scheduled program of the former Maoist combatants joining Yadav's party after holding a march-past in full military fatigues couldn't take place

National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) officials including human rights activists and journalists were present at the party office to witness the entry of former Maoist combatants into Yadav's party.

Battalion commanders and deputy commanders of various PLA battalions are among those who have joined Yadav's party Thursday.

The new entrants had also criticized Maoist chairman Puspha Kamal Dahal and other Maoist leaders of being 'revisionists'. nepalnews.com