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Rebels kill Birgunj mayor
BIRGUNJ, JAN 16 - Maoist rebels shot dead the Mayor of Birgunj Sub-Metropolis, Gopal Giri at Pipra Bahuari this morning.
The 52-year-old newly appointed mayor had gone to meet the rebels at their request. Giri died instantly after receiving six bullets – one on the forehead and five on his back.
Earlier, on December 13, the rebels had demanded half a million rupees as donation from the mayor.
"I cannot provide them with such a huge amount of money from the salary I receive, nor can I give them money from the city’s development budget," Giri is said to have narrated regarding a telephonic conversation between him and the rebels, weeks before his assassination. After he refused to meet their demand, the rebels on January 11 had ordered him to resign from his post.
"If my assassination leads your revolution toward success, you can kill me," Giri is said to have told the rebels over telephone. Giri had gone to Pipra Bahuari Tole this morning along with five assistants to hold talks with Maoist district-level leaders as per an arrangement.
Tribhuvan Giri, one of the assistants who accompanied the mayor to Pipra Bahuari Village, said the mayor and two rebels went toward the bypass road on motorbikes after a short discussion in the village.
According to Giri, after reaching the bypass road, the rebel who was riding pillion on the mayor’s bike asked him to stop. The rebel then shot dead Giri and sped away on the bike driven by his accomplice. They fled the scene within seconds, according to eyewitnesses.
Tribhuvan said that after being shot the first time, the mayor uttered his last words, ‘Hey Bhagawan’, and fell to the ground. "But the rebel continued firing at the mayor even after he collapsed," he said.
Smelling trouble, Tribhuvan had ridden pillion with another rebel and followed the mayor. The rebels had also shot at him but he was not hit. He says he managed to save his life by crawling on the ground and using his helmet as a shield.
Minister for Physical Planning and Works Buddhiman Tamang, who came to pay tributes to the slain mayor said, "It is an act of cowardice on the part of the rebels to kill a politician."
Giri, who started his career as a journalist some 17 years ago, was also elected to the central committee to the Federation of Nepalese Journalists. He was also elected as ward member of the Birgunj Sub-Metropolis twice in 2043 BS and 2049 BS.
Giri is survived by his wife, two sons, a daughter and his 70-year-old mother. One of his sons Girish Giri is a journalist associated with Kantipur, sister publication of The Kathmandu Post. He was appointed mayor of the Birgunj Sub-Metropolis on October 1 last year.Posted on: 2004-01-17 03:55
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