30 August, Chitwan:

Nine persons including a police person were injured in a clash that took place at Narayangadh today during the first day of banda (shutdown) called by the Tharu Kalyankari Sabha, Chitwan.

The clash took place after businessmen in Narayangadh exerted pressure to open markets. The Sabha has called a four-day banda starting today putting forth various demands including declaring Chitwan the provincial capital, implementing the past agreements signed with Tharus, among others.

Chief at the District Police Office, Chitwan, Superintendent of Police Sahakul Bahadur Thapa, said that Police Inspector at the Ward Police Office, Narayangadh, Satya Narayan Thapa, received deep hand injury in the incident. Similarly, eight banda enforcers were injured in the clash, said Chairman of the Tharu Kalyankari Sabha in Chitwan Bishram Mahato.

Injured police inspector Thapa is undergoing treatment at Chitwan Medical College. Thapa said that he was injured in course of settling the dispute surfaced between banda enforcers and businessmen.

Meanwhile, Mahato claimed that they have been urging their cadres not to carry out any violent activities during shutdown and blamed the vigilante group of thrashing the Sabha cadres.

Nevertheless, normal life in Chitwan district has been affected as well as educational institutions, markets, factories remain close today due to the shutdown. RSS