KHOTANG, June 21: An unidentified group has detonated a bomb inside the house of UML candidate vying for the position of ward chief of Khotang's Dorpachiuridanda in Rupakot Majuwagadhi Municipality on Tuesday night. One member of his family sustained serious injury. 

The bomb went off in the house of Leela Chauhan and inflicted injuries to his daughter-in-law Shakuntala Chauhan. She has sustained injuries in both of her legs, according to UML candidate Dan Bahadur Chauhan, who is Leela's nephew. The injured is undergoing treatment at a local health post. 

Leela's brother Tek Bahadur, daughter-in law Shakuntala and eight-month-old nephew Kismat were having dinner in the kitchen when two sutli bombs were hurled inside the house. According to the Chauhan family, the first bomb failed to explode and the second bomb was hurled inside after the failure. 

“The assailants hurled the first bomb inside, but it didn't explode. They then immediately hurled in the second bomb while running away,” informed Babi Chamling, Khotang district chairman of UML, condemning the incident for targeting the party's ward chief candidate. 

According to the family source, two unidentified youths had been asking for the location of the residence of Krishna Khatri, another local. The bombs exploded half-an-hour later, which were powerful enough to create deep cracks in the kitchen's floor. 

UML has claimed that the assailants, who may have been sent by the opponents, had planned to explode the bombs at the opportune moment when candidate Leela would be eating dinner. However, at the time of the explosion, Leela was busy in door-to-door election promotion campaign. Leela's mother was sleeping on upper floor at the time of the explosion and remained unhurt. Following the explosion, Chauhan's family fled from the house. 

Chief District Officer (CDO) Prahlad Pokharel confirmed the incident and said police investigation is underway. Diktel-based Nepal Army's bomb disposal squad reached the incident site early on Wednesday morning to dispose the unexploded bomb while a team of Nepal Police had reached the site on Tuesday night itself. 

The incident has created fear among political party leaders and cadres in the locality.

 
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• one injured