Incident Reports

Ten injured as police, locals clash in Rukum West

2018-12-28

Karnali, Rukum West, Chaurjahari

Two police personnel and eight locals were injured in a clash between locals and the police at Chaurjaheri municipality. Locals had stalled construction work after individual houses were being destroyed to build the Mailanauli road.

The locals said that the local government's decision to build the road would leave them homeless. As confrontation grew, the locals vandalized a dozer -- which then triggered a clash between the police and locals. The locals, on the other hand, claimed that the police used unnecessary force as they baton charged the protesters.

Tilak Bhandari, a local accused the government of misusing power to build roads at a place where it wasn't necessary. " The Chaurjaheri-Kholagaun road is already in operation around 40 meters below the settlement," he said adding that the new road construction also destroyed arable lands and food grains.

Those injured include Khimraj Sharma, Shankar Jaisi, Nirmala Jaisi, Keshar Jaisi, Shashiram Budathoki, Bhim Bahadur Budathoki, Balaram Jaisi, and Tyaakal Budathoki. The injured police personnel is constable Nirmala BK and head constable Tek Bahadur Basnet, according to DSP Sumit Khadka of District Police Office, Rukkum West.

Nine more have been arrested for attacking police. They include Chandra Bahadur Khadka, Sabin Budathoki, Balaram Jaisi, Birbhadur Kumal, Khemraj Sharma, Naresh Sharma, Shankar Jaisi, Nirak Bhandari and Prakash Bhandari.

The DSP said that a clash had erupted after locals attacked the police. The Nepali Congress's Rukum chapter has expressed concerns in the incident and accused the government of misusing power and position. "While development is necessary, it should not be done at the cost of uncalled damage," a press release issued by the Nepali Congress read.

Details and Impacts
Violent / Non-violent Violent
Onesided / Twosided Twosided
Collective / Interpersonal Collective
Primary Form Vandalism
Secondary Form Group Clash
Weapons Blunt weapon
Primary Cause Access/control of development infrastructure (roads, bridges)
Actor 1 - Number of people 17
Actor 1 - Affiliations Protesters/demonstrators
Actor 1 - Youth unknown
Actor 2 - Number of people 12
Actor 2 - Affiliation Police
Actor 2 - Youth unknown
Total Injured 10
National/Online Media , INSEC

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