Sindhupalchowk, July 1 :

Transport workers have declared an indefinite strike from today at Barhabise-Tatopani road section along Araniko Highway to protest the incident of army personnel beating up conductor Surya Bahadur Karki of a container van plying on Tatopani transit point route yesterday.

Nepali Army lieutenant Ishwor Singh, who was deployed at Bhotekoshi Power Company at Jhirpu, beat up conductor Karki who was on a van (Na 2 Kha 967) heading to Tatopani from Kathmandu yesterday.

Transport workers yesterday obstructed traffic at Daskilo of Tatopani VDC-4 soon after the incident. The office secretary of the Araniko route truck unit of Nepal Transport Workers’ Union (NTWU), Ram Krishna Neupane said that the indefinite transport strike was called after Lieutenant Singh failed to apologise as promised by the army yesterday. Over a dozen container vans are parked in the middle of the road, Neupane added.

Chief District Officer Hari Krishna Upadhyay said a meeting of district security committee was held yesterday, which has decided to take action against Lieutenant Singh and also to remove the army check post from the highway.

Chairman of NTWU, Araniko route truck unit committee, Arjun Sapkota said, “This is not the first time that the army has committed such offence. Mere apology is not enough. We need assurance that such incidents won’t be repeated in future.” Around 492 container vans transport goods to and from Tatopani transit.