Leaders and cadres of the opposition party Nepali Congress today staged a rally in Nepalgunj to protest attack on NC President of Banke Kiran Koirala.

Koirala was attacked at a programme organised as a part of party’s second phase of awareness programme at Sitapur of Khajura Rural Municipality.  Koirala’s hand got fractured in the incident.

Protesting the attack, NC Banke took out a rally and staged a chakkajam for one hour at BP Chowk of Nepalgunj. Protesting leaders and cadres demanded that guilty be booked. President Koirala had led the protest rally.

NC leader Krishna Prasad Poudel claimed that the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) cadres had assaulted Koirala and other leaders, saying that they would not allow the NC to organise the programme as the area fell under their sphere of influence.

“NCP cadres attacked Koirala, central representative Bidhya Prasda Khanal and a dozen of cadres in premeditated manner,” Poudel said. Banke District Police Office has arrested three persons allegedly involved in the incident. Some people involved in the incident were absconding and a manhunt has been launched to arrest them, said SP Bir Bahadur Oli.

NCP, Banke, however, refuted allegation and claimed that its cadres were not involved in the incident.  NCP Banke chair and lawmaker of Province-5 IP Kharel refuted involvement of party’s cadres in the incident and demanded stern action against the guilty.

A version of this article appears in print on September 14, 2019 of The Himalayan Times.