By K P Ghimire

           KATHMANDU, May 12   Maoist rebels on Saturday night set ablaze offices of the country's only Sanskrit University - Mahendra Sanskrit University-in Beljhundi of Dang district, reducing estimated
property worth Rs. 27.5 million to a cinder.

The university is located about 15 kilometres west of Ghorahi, the district headquarters of Dang. But nobody was hurt in the incident, university officials said.

Around 200 rebels, most of whom were women, surrounded the university's premises and torched most of the offices which include Administration Office, Office of the Controller of Examinations and offices of
Vice-chancellor, Registrar and Rector.

Following the arson of the university complex, around 50,000 ancient Sanskrit textbooks, including Kalchakra Ambika have been completely reduced to ashes.

Talking over telephone, Chudamani Adhikari, administrative officer of the university, told The Kathmandu Post that the rebels doused the offices with kerosene and set them on fire.  All the furniture and
records of students for the last 14 years were destroyed, said eyewitnesses. The rebels snatched keys of the offices from security guards and ravaged the university property, Adhikari said, adding that
the students of All Nepal Independent Students' Union-Revolutionary (ANISU-Revolutionary) were largely responsible for the attack.

The rebels had also blocked the road leading toward the university in a bid to prevent the security forces from reaching there. It was just last year that the rebels exploded a powerful crude bomb in the office
of the Vice-chancellor, Purna Chandra Dhungel, who usually stays in Kathmandu.