KATHMANDU, NOVEMBER 20
Police opened 137 rounds of fire in air in a bid to control clashes between the cadres of political parties and general people today during the election to the House of Representatives and provincial assemblies.
At least one person was killed and one police officer suffered serious injuries in a clash that ensued between political activists and police in Bajura district. The deceased has been identified as Sanjeev Aaide, 22, of Triveni Rural Municipality of Bajura district.
Police said he was shot in police firing when a mob came to attack security personnel.
"There were clashes between the cadres of the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML all day long. When police intervened, a mob attacked police at around 4:30pm. Police had to open fire to disperse the mob," Senior Superintendent of Police Dan Bahadur Karki told THT.
Karki said the mob looted one automated Insas rifle and four security personnel of Nepal Police suffered injuries in clashes. Among them, Assistant Head Constable Krishna Bahadur Kunwar has suffered serious injuries.
Elsewhere, 23 people, including six police personnel, suffered injuries in clashes in more than 10 election centres across the country. Police had to open fire in 24 election centres in seven districts - 73 rounds were fired in Bajura, 29 in Dolakha, 22 in Humla, three each in Darchula, Rautahat, and Siraha, and one in Chitwan.
Polling at 71 election centres in 35 districts had to be stopped due to security threats. However, voting resumed in most of the centres, barring 15 - 12 in Bajura and one each in Surkhet, Gulmi, and Nawalparasi (East), where the polling has been postponed.
A version of this article appears in the print on November 21, 2022 of The Himalayan Times.
