JUMLA: At least five people were injured as the protesters clashed with security personnel in the district headquarters Khalanga on Monday.

Police used force after the protesters defied the prohibitory order and started marching towards the District Administration Office.

They have been demanding that Karnali zone be acknowledged as an autonomous province instead of combining it with other zones in the purported sixth Pradesh.

According to Chief District Officer Dipendra Raj Paudel, the injured have been admitted to the Karnali Institute of Health Sciences for treatment.

Security personnel frequently fired shots in air to warn and ward off the protesters.

The latter, however, managed to break the police blockade and staged demonstration in front of the District Administration Office in the afternoon.