Biratnagar, February 6:

Morang district president of the Nepali Congress, Amrit Aryal, and NC’s city president Kamakshya Parajuli today alleged in a press conference here that they were targets of an intentional attack by the police on February 4.

Aryal claimed the police fired at them intentionally. He said that he and Parajuli had participated in the protest rally organized that day by women’s organizations affiliated to the eight political parties.

Parajuli said that prior to the shooting, police tried to arrest them at Traffic chowk. Inspector Govinda Basnet chased them till Sansarimaisthan in a bid to arrest them, Parajuli said.

The police then shot at them but missed. Parajuli said, “We ducked behind a rickshaw when they were about to fire again.” Parajuli said the police shot at them despite knowing Aryal as the NC district party president.

Demanding a probe and action against those involved, Parajuli said a protest torch rally would be held tomorrow.

Immediately after the incident, heads of the district based security organs said the shooting incident was accidental. The administration claimed that the weapon went off after an armed policeman fell down.

Meanwhile, the human rights commission’s regional office in Biratnagar condemned the incident and said it has begun probing into the incident.