Residents of Samanpur VDC today staged a demonstration against the custodial detention of VDC staffers as bogus cases had been filed against them under the pressure of former Inspector General of Nepal Police Pradip Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana in Rautahat headquarters Gaur. The locals took to the street saying that former IGP Rana had politicised local woman Ramsakhi Devi Sah who had her leg fractured after she fell down at a meeting of the Drinking Water and Sanitation Coordination Committee at Sankargudar Higher Secondary School to deliberate declaring Samanpur VDC an open defecation free zone seven days ago. Locals said that a group of women including Sah had gone on a rampage at the meeting. She had fractured her leg after she fell down. But, the IGP had pressed the local administration to book the VDC staffers by registering false cases against them. The agitating locals demanded unconditional release of innocent staffers and action against the guilty. The locals led by NC Rautahat District Committee member Dipendra Shrestha staged a sit-in in front of the DAO for a half-an-hour. According to Shrestha, Ramsakhi was injured after she fell down when a scuffle broke out after a group of over 100 women tried to disrupt the meeting at the school. He added that it was wrong to book some locals, including the VDC accountant Kameswor Sahani and office assistant instead of taking action against the women who tried to disrupt the meeting. Mishri Lal Prasad of Samanpur said they had to hit the street to protest the conspiracy hatched against the VDC staffers by filing a case at the National Human Rights Commission and National Women’s Commission saying that Ramsakhi was tortured. Nepal National Socialist Party member Ramsakhi is being treated at Kathmandu-based Norvic Hospital. NC, UML, CPN-Maoist Centre and Madhesi parties leaders and cadres had picketed the DAO for some time. CDO Narhari Baral said that efforts were under way to resolve the issue. “As investigation is under way, the truth will come out after the details come out,” CDO Baral added. Meanwhile, work at all the VDCs across Rautahat was halted for the second consecutive day today. VDC Welfare Protection Committee Rautahat has decided to submit office stamps and pens to the DDC tomorrow.