ID :
378165
Tue, 08/25/2015 - 05:49
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Over A Dozen People Killed In Clashes Between Police And Protesters In Western Nepal

By YUBA NATH LAMSAL KATHMANDU, Aug 25 (Bernama) -- At least a dozen people including five policemen were killed in a clash between police and protesters in Tikapur of western Nepal, about 800 kilometers west of Kathmandu, Monday. Several unruly criminals attacked the police in the name of protest in Tikapur in which several people including some policemen were unfortunately killed, said deputy prime minister and home minister Bamdev Gautaum in parliament Monday. “It is a criminal act to attack the police with lethal weapons and all of us must condemn this act,” deputy prime minister Gautam said. However, protestors claimed that the clash started when police fired at innocent people during the peaceful protest. “Police are responsible for the incident as they opened fire at the peaceful protesters,” said parliamentarian Ram Janam Chaudhari, who was sympathetic of the protestors during a telephone interview. The policemen who were killed in the clash included senior superintendent of police Laxman Neupane, police inspector Balaram Bista, police constables Ram Bihari Chaudhari, Lokendra Chand and Keshav Bohara. The protesters were basically ethnic Tharu people who were demanding an ethnic Tharu’s autonomous province in western Nepal but the government and three major parties denied the Tharu ethnic province. Tharu parliamentarians and some fringe political parties have supported the demand of the Tharu ethnic people for an autonomous province while a fringe party-Nepal Sadbhavana Party quit the Constituent Assembly on Sunday in support of the ethnic communities’ demand. The government has since imposed an indefinite curfew after the incident and banned rallies and public gatherings in Tikapur and its adjoining areas. -- BERNAMA

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