Stage five-hour chakkajam in Lalitpur

• 13 vehicles vandalised

Kathmandu, February 27:

A chakkajam staged by microbus drivers in Lalitpur was withdrawn today after Maoists agreed to meet a number of demands put forward by the drivers, who got agitated following an incident yesterday in which a driver and his helper were allegedly beaten up by Maoists at Pulchowk.

According to a driver, the Maoists took the driver of a microbus (Ba 1 Ja 4216) Saroj Shrestha and his staff Keshav Shrestha to their office after a fight broke out between them over an issue of a polymer note of Rs 10 denomination.

“The Maoist cadres first manhandled the microbus staff. The microbus driver and the staff beat up Bimal Tamang, a cadre of the Tamang Mukti Morcha, the ethnic wing of the CPN-Maoist. Then, Tamang along with his colleagues took the duo to the Maoists’ office at Kupondole and beat them up severely,” said Santosh Karki, in-charge of the Kupondole police beat.

The transport workers staged the chakkajam for five hours from 8 am by parking their vehicles on the road at Kupondole. They also vandalised the main gate of Maoists’ party office.

The Maoists then called the drivers for talks. When the talks were going on, a group of about 20 Maoists came and attacked the agitating transport workers with swords and Iron rods. Four drivers were injured in the incident. Those injured included Padam Tamang, Kumar Khatri, Santosh and Sahila. The Maoists also vandalised 13 vehicles at Kupondole and Jawalakhel areas while trying to resume traffic forcefully.

The chakkajam was withdrawn after the Maoist talks team agreed to bear treatment expenses of all the injured and provide them compensation.