The Maoist armed insurgency, which began on 1 Falgun 2052 (13 February 1996), had gradually started to spread from the Mid-Western region to other areas. Incidents of violence had not ceased. The distortions seen in parliament over three and a half years after 2051 (1994), and the frequent changes in government, were reinforcing the Maoists’ negative perception of the parliamentary system.

The expansion of the armed insurgency, said to have the greatest impact in districts such as Rolpa, Rukum, Pyuthan, Jajarkot, and Kalikot, spread like wildfire over two years and eight months. The government, meanwhile, was attempting to control the Maoist insurgency as a terrorist activity. Then Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, at a Nepal Tarun Dal program in Biratnagar on 12 Kartik 2055 (29 October 1998), labeled the Maoist insurgency as a terrorist activity and warned that it would be brought under control by any means necessary. He expressed the view that those spreading terror in various parts of the country in the name of Mao were terrorists. This sent a message that the government was taking a hard line against the Maoists. As the government appeared increasingly tough on the Maoists, the Maoists were also seen making efforts to strengthen themselves. The Maoists were attempting to expand their influence to all 75 districts of the country.

In this context, according to the decision of the fourth extended meeting, they declared the ‘People’s War’ to be in the phase of establishing base areas. With this declaration, the Maoists launched a campaign starting the night of 9 Kartik 2055 (26 October 1998). They began activities such as distributing pamphlets, wall writing, and torch rallies. Within two days of launching the campaign, they attacked district headquarters and various police posts in several districts. They carried out attacks in various locations in Rolpa, Rukum, Jajarkot, Kavrepalanchok, Lamjung, Salyan, and Pyuthan, among others.

In the course of these events, seven people—Maoists and police—were killed in two days. While the Maoists, who had appeared quiet for some time, were holding meetings and running campaigns to establish base areas, the government claimed that they attacked the police using modern weapons. On 9 Kartik 2055 (26 October 1998), when the Maoists repeatedly attacked the Falevang police post in Rolpa, police constable Balkrishna Mahato was killed. They looted a security guard’s gun and more than 3.7 million rupees from Nepal Bank in Musikot, the district headquarters of Rukum. During the clashes, one Maoist was killed in Jajarkot, and shots were fired at police in Libang, the district headquarters of Rolpa.

The security agencies confirmed that one Maoist was killed and one civilian injured in retaliatory fire by the police. In the attack carried out by the Maoists on the Phalante police post in Kavrepalanchok, police constable Dhan Bahadur Moktan was killed. From that post, the Maoists killed Moktan and looted four guns, 200 rounds of ammunition, and a pistol.

In clashes between police and Maoists in Duradanda and Devtapani villages of Lamjung, Ek Bahadur Bishwakarma, the Maoist commander of Area No. 1, was killed. Locals reported that unfamiliar faces had been staying in the area for several days. The locals had informed the police that the deceased commander Bishwakarma was staying in the Devpani area. A year earlier, the Maoists had also made an unsuccessful attempt to rob the Nepal Bank sub-branch office in Duradanda. After that failed attempt, they had warned local Congress leaders and activists of a second attack. In that incident, police arrested two Maoist activists.