Dhangadi, August 24

Seven police personnel, including Nepal Police Senior Superintendent of Police Laxman Neupane, Chief, Seti Zonal Police Office, Dhangadi, and a two-year-old boy were killed when thousands of agitators loyal to Tharuhat and United Democratic Madhesi Front clashed with police personnel in Tikapur, Kailali, today.

SP Tulashi Prasad Adhikari at Far-western Regional Police Office, Dipayal, said along with SSP Neupane, two Nepal Police inspectors Balaram Bista and Keshav Bohara, constables Laxman Khadka and Lokendra Chand, two APF head constables Rambihari Chaudhary and Lalit Saud were killed when protesters turned violent. Two-year-old Tek Bahadur Saud was also found murdered, but police sources could not confirm the circumstances in which he was killed. Ministry of Home Affairs spokesperson Laxmi Prasad Dhakal told THT that MoHA would investigate into the boy’s death.

It is learnt that thousands of agitators from Banke, Bardiya and Kailali, carrying home-made weapons — spears, knives, axes and glass bottles — took a police team led by SSP Neupane under control and killed them when SSP Neupane approached the agitators to pacify them at Pasuhat of Tikapur Municipality. The deceased APF personnel were stationed at Ugratara Battalion, Tikapur.

Clashes also broke out at more than 25 places of Munuwa VDC’s Kanchanpur, Simal and Chautara, among others. Kailali CDO Raj Kumar Shrestha said 42 police personnel were injured in the clashes.

“Preparation is under way to airlift five critically injured personnel to the capital for treatment,” CDO Shrestha added. Other injured are being treated at Tikapur Hospital. None of the agitators was injured, CDO Shrestha said.

Kailali DAO clamped curfew at Tikapur Municipality, Pathraiya, Durgauli, Munuwa, Narayanpur, Joshipur and Dhasinghpur VDCs following the incident. CDO Shrestha said DAO imposed the curfew from 7:00pm till further notice.

To avert clashes and violence, DAO had issued prohibitory orders in daytime and clamped curfew at night at several places in Kailali earlier. The situation at Toraiyapur of Durgauli VDC deteriorated after the cadres of Tharuhat clashed with supporters of Intact Far-west on Friday. Following Friday’s clashes, a police team led by SSP Neupane was deployed at Tikapur.