KATHMANDU, June 25 -- Parliament's State Affairs Committee (SAC) on Monday directed the Home Ministry to probe the death of Kumar Poudel, Sarlahi district in-charge of the Netra Bikram Chand-led Communist Party Nepal (CPN), and present a report within seven days.

The SAC move comes in response to pressure from lawmakers of the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) and the main opposition Nepali Congress (NC), who have questioned the government's claim that Poudel was killed in an encounter with police .

Most of the lawmakers on the committee have accused the police of killing the underground party cadre after his arrest. Although Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa and Nepal Police chief Sarbendra Khanal, who were summoned by the committee for...