According to one of the victims, Dr Gyanendra Giri, chairman of the college board of directors, they were blindfolded and beaten up from head to toe. ‘The YCL cadres did everything except kill us,’ Dr Giri said at a press meet organized by the victims in the capital Tuesday with a view to exposing the abduction, torture and intimidation. They were freed at 4:30 am on Monday.

"May be this is my last meeting with you. If the YCL abducts one of us (six) again within the coming 24 hours, it is certain they will kill us. You need not search for our bodies for confirmation before you headline our ill fate," said another victim, hospital director Aditya Khanal. According to him, the abductors had threatened to kill them within hours if they disclosed anything about their abduction.

The victims also claimed that the Maoists tortured them on the instruction of one 'Dr' Sunil Sharma, who reportedly has close links with top political leaders of almost all major political parties. Sharma had a dispute with board members regarding college shares after he was dismissed from membership of the board of directors as per a court verdict. However, the core issue in the dispute is yet to be sought out, as they could not elaborate matters during the press meet.

According to Dr Navin Sharma, chairman of the college advisory committee who is also director of the National Academy of Medical Education (NAME), six persons including chairman Dr Giri, directors Nava Raj Pandey, Umesh Pandey and Aditya Khanal, shareholder Janak Rijal and Santoshmani Neupane were abducted from Tilganga upon their arrival at Tribuvan International Airport.

According to Dr Sharma they arrived in the capital after Ananta asked them to do so to settle the issue. Ananta had said to Dr Giri that they had arranged time on Sunday with (Maoist) Chairman Prachanda and second-in-command Dr Baburam Bhattarai to discuss the issue, Dr Sharma said. "So, they arrived there. But, unfortunately the group that came all the way from Biratnagar was suddenly abducted from just outside the airport," he added.

The victims claimed that YCL Valley chief "Sagar" and Maoist central leader "Ananta" were directly involved in threatening and torturing the doctors and board members. However, Sagar denied any YCL involvement . "The dispute is entirely about a deal between the two groups. We have no connection at all," claimed Sagar, adding, "The accusation against us is completely baseless."

However, when the victims met Maoist Chairman Prachanda and Dr Babu Ram Bhattarai at the Maoist headquarters in the capital Tuesday, the Maoist chief apologized to them and confessed the YCL's involvement, according to Dr Giri.

"Now we know that Sunil Sharma misled our cadres including Sagar. So we will take action against them," Dr Giri quoted Prachanda as saying. According to Dr Giri, Bhattarai had requested not to disclose the affair to media and committed himself to supporting the victims.

According to Dr Sharma, Maoist leaders including Ananta had been supporting Sunil for the last two years. "The top Maoist leadership was frequently informed about the threats and intimidation but they did not take any action to stop that," Dr Sharma claimed. The victims also met Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala on Monday. He assured them that the culprits would be brought to book.

Dr Sharma accused Nepali Congress (NC) leader Dr Shekhar Koirala of supporting Sunil Sharma. "He pressured the management to adjust Sunil into the board," Dr Sharma claimed. However, Dr Koirala denied any involvement. He said he had nothing to do with the college. "Bringing Dr Giri and Sunil together at my home, I had suggested to them to work together without quarreling," Dr Koirala said, adding, "That is all that I did. But local NC leaders themselves have been conspiring against me."

YCL cadres intercepted Dambar Gubhaju of Sindhupalchok, Pramod Deuja of Bhaktapur and Lakpa Gyaljon of Rasuwa while they were headed for Trishuli from Rasuwa, and took them away to the YCL office. The victims said the YCL cadres bashed them up and also looted their mobile sets and Rs 25,000 in cash.

The YCL cadres seized their private car (Ba 1 Cha 6215) and later ditched it into the Trishuli river from a nearby bridge.

Similarly, YCL cadres seized a house and land belonging to Balananda Bhurtel at Dhankuta, Tuesday. YCL district chairman Nirmal said they captured his property as he was launching anti-democratic campaigns.

Similarly, Maoists in Hasandaha VDC-1 of Morang district Tuesday seized a house and over 16 bighha of land belonging to Semanta Raj Adhikari, a freedom fighter during the Rana and Panchayat regimes.

Maoists forcefully take away ex-colleague

Meanwhile in Makwanpur, Maoists have forcefully taken a minor girl who had left the cantonment, back to the camp.

A Maoist army battalion, under the leadership of Nirantar, took Chamelimaya Moktan, 15, of Tistung VDC-5 from Naukhande on Monday. HimRights, a rights organization in Makwanpur, said the Maoists forcefully took Chamelimaya, who was working as a tailor here.

Chamelimaya had left a satellite camp of Rakshauli in Chitwan on April 26, after the first verification by the UN Mission in Nepal. Her relatives have approached police after Maoists forcefully took her back to the cantonment. Following a request from family members, police had seized the Maoist vehicle at Hetauda in which Chamelimaya was being taken to the camp. But the Maoists insisted she should be taken to the camp for second round of verification.