PALPA ? A few days before tika, during the Dasain truce, two innocent civilians were executed by the Armed Police Force (APF). Tulsi Gaha and Narbahadur Rana were shooting pheasants at Ruchang jungle without realising that a APF patrol was passing. Gaha and Rana were arrested and dragged to Nabaratnapur. Villagers were acused of supporting the Maoists and forced to stay indoors. After a while, they heard gunshots. ?Even in their last breath, they tried to convince the soldiers that they were not Maoists,? recalls a tearful Um Bahadur Rana. As the villagers came out of their houses, they were beaten up. ?The APF accused us of sheltering the Maoists,? Durga Thapa said. The villagers were made to gather near the school and dig a grave into which the bodies were dumped. Despite statements from witnesses, the district authorities have not acknowledged the incident.