Kathmandu: At least 6 people have been injured, including two police personnel, after a clash erupted between the members of the National Liberation Movement and the police near Singha Durbar, the administrative capital of Nepal, on Saturday.
The clash erupted after the members of the National Liberation Movement, led by Madesh-based-leader Rajendra Mahato, organised a march in Kathmandu, demanding recognition of states on the basis of ethnicity.
The march took a violent turn after the participants pushed down the barricade set by the police to prevent them from entering the restricted area. Soon after the fall of the barricade, a group of demonstrators pelted stones at the police, further escalating the situation. In the course of the clash, 6 people have been injured, including two police personnel, of whom one is in critical condition, as per the police.
“Four demonstrators and two police officers have sustained injuries. Out of the injured police personnel, one is in critical condition, being treated at a neuro hospital in Kathmandu. We have also arrested four people for inciting violence,” Superintendent of Police Nawaraj Adhikari from District Police Circle, Kathmandu, told ANI over the phone.
Police also used a water cannon to disperse the demonstrators, who had earlier announced to hold the mass gathering at an open ground previously used for protests. But the mass turned its direction towards the administrative capital, which has been declared a restricted area by local authorities since last year. Rajendra Mahato, who is also a former Deputy Prime Minister of Nepal, led the protest, remained unhurt and was escorted from the site as soon as the clash started.
A senior Madhesh-based leader, he quit the Loktantrik Samajbadi Party (LSP), on February 26 and announced a new campaign, “Rastriya Mukti Kranti” (National Liberation Movement). (ANI)
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