Soldier kills a dozen civilians in Nepal

A Nepalese soldier ended an argument with a group of villagers by spraying them with bullets, killing at least 12 people, officials and eyewitness said today.

The killings late yesterday in a town north-east of the capital Kathmandu had by early today drawn some 200 protesters to the hospital where those injured in the shooting were taken.

The unidentified soldier was also killed in the incident, although it was not clear how he died, said Bashanta Raj Bhattarai, the chief administrative official of Bhakatpur district, where the shooting took place.

He added that an investigation was underway.

Since King Gyanendra seized absolute power earlier this year, saying he needed total control to defeat Maoist rebels, the army has faced stepped-up criticism from human rights groups for using excessive force and killing civilians.

Several officials and soldiers have been punished by the army for committing abuses and murder, but many say enough has not been done.

Opposition parties pushing for a restoration of democracy had already planned a rally for Kathmandu today. That rally is expectd to shift focus to the killings.

Details of the shooting were scant, but villagers said the soldier may have been drunk and got into an argument with some villagers near Nagarkot, about 15 miles north-east of the capital.

“He returned at night with a gun and started firing,” said Santa Bahadur Tamang, who lost his 30-year-old nephew in the shooting.

Tamang, who was protesting outside the hospital, said villagers first heard a single shot followed by continuous firing.

Initial reports from the military said soldiers could have opened fire after mistaking the villagers for communist rebels.

The rebels, who say they are inspired by Chinese communist revolutionary Mao Zedong, have been fighting since 1996 to topple Nepal’s monarchy and establish a communist state. About 12,000 people have died in the insurgency.