September 20, 2007	Thursday	Ramazan 07, 1428

KATHMANDU, Sept 19: At least 19 people including a police officer have died in violence in south western Nepal sparked by the killing of a local Muslim leader, police said on Wednesday.

Hundreds of houses and vehicles were destroyed when angry mobs rampaged through the area in protests that followed the shooting of politician Mohid Khan on Sunday, police said.

“Five more bodies were discovered Wednesday and local people have told us that another nine people were burned to death, but we need to test the charred remains to verify that they are human,” said Kuber Kadayat, the district deputy superintendent of police.

Curfews were slapped on three areas in the district from Sunday evening, and remained in place until Wednesday, the police officer said.

Police said they did not know when or why the victims were killed.

Khan was the leader of an anti-Maoist vigilante group during Nepal’s 10-year civil war between the former rebels and the government, said Kadayat.

“We have no idea who was behind any of these killings, including Khan’s,”said the police officer said from Kapilvastu district, 230 kilometres south west of Kathmandu.

At least 100 people have been killed in Nepal’s southern Terai region since the start of the year in ethnic violence, clouding a peace deal reached late last year between the government and former rebel Maoists.

Nepal is due to hold crucial elections in November to vote for a body that will rewrite the constitution.—AFP