Nepal Maoists charged over murder

Rebel negotiator Baburam Bhattarai is among those charged

Police in Nepal have charged 21 Maoist rebels, including their leader, Prachanda, with assassinating the chief of armed police earlier this year.

Krishna Mohan Shrestha was shot dead in the capital shortly before the government and rebels declared a ceasefire, which broke down last month.

If convicted, the accused men could be jailed for life.

The filing of charges came as the rebels urged people to take part in a general strike to begin on Thursday.

The BBC's Sushil Sharma in Kathmandu says several such cases have been pending against Maoist leaders since the rebel insurgency began in 1996.

The three-day shut-down is aimed at increasing pressure on the government to accept a key rebel demand for a constituent assembly to draw up a new constitution.

Disagreement on the issue caused the breakdown of recent peace talks.

'Informants'

Earlier on Monday, the authorities in Kathmandu said at least 12 security personnel, Maoist rebels and civilians had died in violence across the kingdom since Monday.

Soldiers have faced increased security problems in Kathmandu

The authorities say that five rebels have been killed in separate security operations.

Six security personnel died in rebel shootings and explosions.

The authorities also say the rebels have killed an unspecified number of civilians, accusing them of being police informants.

More than 150 people have died since the Maoists broke off the seven-month truce in August and resumed violence.

Monarchy row

The rebels have vowed to step up violence ahead of the general strike.

They believe a new constitution would clear way for their ultimate goal of replacing the monarchy with a communist republic.

The government is refusing to scrap the present constitution - which guarantees the constitutional monarchy in a multi-party democracy - but has offered to discuss sweeping changes to it.