By Sudeshna Sarkar,

Kathmandu, Sep 23 (IANS) A fresh bout of violence marred the festive season in Nepal with gunmen killing a member of parliament from a party loyal to King Gyanendra and three more dying in the ensuing mayhem in Siraha district.

Krishna Charan Shrestha, MP from the Rastriya Prajatantra Party, one of Nepal's oldest parties and supporter of monarchy, was gunned down in his own constituency in Siraha district Friday.

Shrestha, in his 70s, was returning home from his morning walk when he was attacked by three gunmen close to his residence in Beligaon village, preliminary reports said. The attack occurred around 5.30 a.m.

The MP died on his way to hospital. A yet unnamed member of the royalist party was also killed in the firing, according to reports.

The three assailants had come on two motorcycles and one of them fired several rounds from a machine gun, private FM channel Himalayan Broadcasting Corporation said.

Two of the assailants were caught and lynched by the villagers, media reports said.

The slain MP's party chief, Pashupati Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana, a former minister and sitting MP, headed for Siraha Friday, following the news of the killing. Rana and his party men are demanding the resignation of Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula for the continued deterioration in the law and order situation in the country.

Though no one immediately claimed responsibility for the killing, the needle of suspicion points towards a splinter group of the Maoists.

The Janatantrik Terai Mukti Morcha, a party supporting the cause of people living in the plains bordering India, has been feuding with the Communist party of Nepal (Maoist) resulting in two fresh deaths this week, said a political observer.

Shrestha's murder comes in spite of a ceasefire called by both the Maoists and the government of Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and on the eve of a decisive round of negotiations expected to be held by next week.

He is the second MP from Sihara to die a violent death. Around two years ago, Hem Narayan Yadav, a Communist MP, was killed, allegedly by security forces.