Bomb explodes at Nepal political party headquarters

Aug 11, 2009, 10:57 GMT

   Kathmandu - A powerful bomb went off at the headquarters of Nepal's oldest political party Tuesday, causing severe damage to the building but no injuries, police said.

   The bomb exploded after it was thrown into the Nepali Congress party headquarters on the southern outskirts of the capital Kathmandu Tuesday afternoon.

   The blast hit a conference hall on the ground floor which was unoccupied at the time, and there were no casualties, police said.

   Nepali Congress said most of the party workers and politicians were on the top floor of the building at the time.

   There were no immediate claims of responsibility. However, police said they had recovered leaflets belonging to a group calling itself Nepal Defence Army from the blast site.

   The group has been accused of several bombings across Nepal, including one at a church in Kathmandu earlier this year in which three people were killed.

   The group is demanding reinstatement of Hinduism as the official state region.

   Nepal was declared a secular state after the collapse of King Gyanendra's government in 2006 in the face of mass demonstrations.

   The Nepali Congress said the bomb was intended to intimidate its party workers and politicians.

   'The blast is an attempt to weaken democracy in the country and threaten Nepali Congress,' party Vice President Ram Chandra Paudel said. 'Nepali Congress will not back down from its position.'