Rajbiraj, March 5:

Irate villagers held a demonstration at Kharchuhiya road section of the Mahendra highway today to protest the manhandling of five villagers of Saptari’s Pansera VDC by Jaykrishna Goit-led Janatantrik Terai Mukti Morcha (JTMM) cadres yesterday.

Dhodhai Ram and Mahendra Ram of Pansera 9, Surya Narayan Mandal Khatwe, Ram Chandra Mandal of Khojpur 3, and 35-year-old Bachcha Ram were beaten up by the Morcha cadres, the victims alleged.

Dhodhai Ram, whose leg was fractured in the incident was admitted to Dharan based BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences for medical treatment. Although Dhodhai was alleged to have molested Laxmi Mandal’s daughter-in-law of Saptari’s Siswabelahi 8 in the pretext of

Holi on Fagu Purnima on March 3, he has denied the charges. Morcha has also not made public its stand.