BARA, JULY 29

Nine persons, including a policeman, were injured in a clash over the removal of staffers at Bara's Simraungadh Municipality yesterday.

According to Bara police, a dispute had started between Deputy Mayor Najamu Shehar's husband Shekh Motim and Ward No 4 Chairperson Awadesh Sahahi over the decision to change the chiefs of education and health sections at the municipality.

The dispute between the two local representative from different parties had later turned into a clash. While Deputy Mayor Shehar was elected from Nepali Congress, Ward Chair Sahani is a Lokatantrik Samajbadi Party leader.

As the dispute went worse, it led to a clash between the supporters of both sides, prompting police to fire tear gas. Nepali Congress's Rabi Kumar Sahani, 33, and Ram Niwas Ram of Simraungadh-4 and Umesh Yadav, 30, and Gaurishankar Yadav, 38, of Simraungadh-9 were injured in the clash. They received injuries on their heads. Of them, while Rabi and Ram are said to be undergoing treatment at Municipal Hospital, Simraungadh, the other two are being treated in Birgunj, police said.

Bara police Spokesperson DSP Thapa said five policemen were also injured in the clash. 'Senior head constable Pramod, constable Madan Sah Teli and three others were injured,' said Thapa, adding their condition was normal.

As per sources, the mayor had recently decided to change the existing heads of the education and health sections at the municipality. As the decision was waiting to be implemented, ward Chair Sahani and other NC-aligned ward chairpersons had raised question over the decision.

The dispute between the two sides with supporters had then developed into a clash. According to DSP Thapa, police fired 15 rounds of tear gas to control the situation. Meanwhile, heavy security presence is maintained at the site to prevent any flareup.

A version of this article appears in the print on July 30, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.