A clash broke out in the Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve near Bairawa of Kanchanrup Municipality, Saptari, today when police attempted to drive out hundreds of people who had flocked to the reserve with the intention of occupying land for settlement.

While three policemen and a few others were injured, police arrested more than a dozen encroachers during the clash.

This morning, more than 1,000 persons from different districts, carrying daily essentials, had flocked to a swathe of open land in the reserve by riding buses, trucks, tractors and jeeps with the intention of erecting structures for settlement. A clash broke out after police tried to drive out the encroachers from the reserve land.

While locals reported of a few injuries on the encroachers’ side, police, however, claimed no one from the encroachers’ side was arrested, but three policemen were injured after encroachers pelted stones at encroachers. Following information from the reserve administration about encroachers trying to occupy the reserve area, a group of police personnel had been mobilised to the site.

According to DSP Bhabesh Rimal, police had to use ‘punitive force’ after encroachers refused to back off from the land they had tried to occupy. He further informed that a dozen persons, including Mongolian Group Province 2 In-charge Shakti Rai were arrested during the clash.

Eyewitnesses informed that police had fired around one-and-a-half dozen tear gas shells after the encroachers started demonstrating.

Police sources said a large number of people from Jhapa, Dhankuta, Bhojpur, Udayapur, Chitwan and Gorkha had come to occupy the reserve land after hearing the rumour spread by the Mongolian Group that the government was going to distribute land to squatters in the reserve area of Saptari. “We’ve learnt that the Mongolian Group had spread the rumour; we’re investigating the case further,” said Saptari Chief District Officer Surendra Poudel.