By IOL South Asia Correspondent

NEW DELHI, November 17 (IslamOnline) - The landlocked Hindu kingdom of Nepal continued to reel under one of the fiercest bloodletting in its history in the wake of a Maoist onslaught which threatens to topple the constitutional monarchy.

Until today, Sunday, November 17, not less than 180 security personnel and Maoists were killed in separate incidents in the kingdom during the past couple of days, various reports from Kathmandu said.

Maoist rebels mounted a massive offensive in two districts of rural Nepal. The ferocity of the attack was such that the rebels briefly overran at least one of the districts before being driven out by security forces.

Nepalese defence ministry sources said that around 3,000 rebels converged on to the district headquarters in Khalanga town of Jumla district, 560 km north-west of the capital, Kathmandu, just before midnight, Thursday, November14, and went on a bloodletting spree.

“The bodies of 52 Maoists were found scattered all over the town when the army moved back in with reinforcements after 6:00 am,” sources said. The army succeeded in repulsing the fierce Maoist onslaught after barraging the rebels with attack helicopters.

The gun battle which lasted several hours witnessed 33 policemen killed. Four army personnel and three civilian officials, including a judge, also lost their lives while 23 rebels were reported killed.

During the mayhem, the rebels completely destroyed Jumla’s small airport and set the government buildings on fire in the Khalanga area of the headquarters.

In a separate incident, early Friday, November 15, the rebels launched a big attack at Takukot in the western district of Gurkha. The district is the ancestral home of King Gyanendra.

The rebels bombed a security post at Takukot and also opened fire with machine guns. At least 24 policemen were killed and eight of them grievously injured. Fifty rebels were also killed.

Though the current spree of violence is becoming a stumbling block for peaceful negotiations, both the Nepalese government officials and the Maoist leaders have shown their willingness to enter into negotiations.

Deputy Prime Minister Badri Prasad Mandal said that the government was working with human rights groups to establish contact with the rebels and start peace talks.

''It is the Maoists who need to respond positively. Violence will not get them anywhere. The rebels need to agree to talks and then we can set an agenda on what we need to discuss,” Mandal said.

Earlier, rebel leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal said he was ready to hold peace talks. He renewed his offer after a three-day nationwide strike ordered by the rebels.

"All political parties are in favour of the Maoist movement and the whole world is putting pressure for peace talks, and then an interim government," said another prominent Maoist leader, Krishna Bahadur Mahara.

The current cycle of violence was let loose after Maoists called for a countrywide three-day dawn to dusk shutdown. The shutdown began from Monday, November 11, and continued through Wednesday, November 13, amid reports of violence and protests. Maoists had called the strike to press for their demand for a “constituent assembly” to redraft the Constitution.

Nepal is the only Hindu kingdom in the world. But the Maoist rebels have vowed to turn the impoverished Himalayan nation into a communist republic after toppling the monarchy. Maoists say they are the followers of Communist China’s revolutionary leader, Mao Zedong. They began their violent struggle in 1996 in order to further their agenda of transforming Nepal into a communist state.