A bomb exploded in front of Nepal Oil Corporation, 200 meter ahead of sourthern gate of the government headquarter Singh Durbar, killing three people and injuring seven in the capital.
Police said it was a remote-control device that went off at around 1:10pm when workers were heading out of offices on their lunch breaks. The area has a number of govenrment offices: Kathmandu District Court, Office of the Auditor General and the Department of Road which is crowded with visitors and govenrment workers.
It was a major bomb attack in the capital after the bombing of Assumption Church at Dhobighat, Lalitpur in 2009, which had claimed three lives and injured 15 people. Since then, there were a series of explosions including one outside the CA building two years ago. But the government never took it seriously.
Home Minister Bijay Kumar Gachchhedar has termed it a ‘threat to secrurity’ instead of admitting security weakness. The Home Ministry formed a probe panel headed by DIG Upendra Kanta Aryal, the chief of Nepal Police Central Investigation Bureau to investigate into the bombing. The government panels have rarely been useful in the past. At least 10 explosions have taken place in the capital killing about a dozen people over the past five years.
Ever since the Maoists joined the peace process, at least one hundred armed outfit have formed in Terai region alone and as many number of ethnic, regional and religious underground outfits in other parts of the country. As a legacy of insurgency, there was spread of illegal small arms and ammunition in the country. Innocent children have died in mine explosion and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) while criminals used them for extortion. The number of criminal armed outfits keeps fluctuating with changes in the government.
Although these explosions look criminal, they are often politically motivated. The person accused of Tripureshwor bombing was later elected as the CA member. The convicted murderer still walks free.
The drafting of a new constitution has been delayed by political differences and debate over state restructuring. At a time when the state restructuring on ethnic line has been strongly opposed, a little-known ethnic outfit, United Ethnic Liberation Front, first claimed to have carried out the blast in protest of the hike in prices of petroleum products. But a statement from the group denied its involvement. The motive behind the attack is still unknown.
Explosions in Kathmandu
27 February 2012 in front of Nepal Oil Corporation, Babarmahal, 3 died and 7 injured:
12 January 2012 at Newroad Pipalbot: unknown
27 November 2011 at the office of United Mission to Nepal, Thapathali: unknown
26 May 2010 outside the CA building, New Baneswor: Dynamic Youth Forum
28 August 2009 at the residence of vice presidnet Paramananda Jha, Gaurighat: Kirant Janabadi Workers Party
23 May 2009 in the Asumption Church, Dhobighat, 3 killed and 15 injured: Nepal Defense Army
1 January 2009 in Kathmandu Mall, Sundhara: Ranabir Sena
11 August 2008 at the Nepali Congress party office, Sanepa: Nepal Defense Army
7 May 2007 at the UCPN (Maoist) party office, Budhhanagar: Nepal Defense Army
1 September 2006 at Tripureshwor and Balaju 3 died 39 injured: Nepal People’s Army, Terai Army and Terai Uthyan Sangat
