Manahari, May 28:

Members of a forest users’ group and land encroachers clashed on the Manahari-Lothar road section of the East-West highway today. After the clash, the members of the forest users’ group brought traffic on the highway section to a halt for four hours. The clash ensued after the encroachers fell trees at three bigha of land in the Dipad Sunachauri jungle.

The encroachers were from different VDCs of Chitwan and Makawanpur, president of the Dipad Sabau forest users’ group Ram Kumar Moktan said. They were seeking a place for settlement, Moktan said, adding, “We suggested them to approach the government.”

Additional police personnel were rushed to the area from the district police office Makawanpur after the clash, said superintendent of police Romendra Singh Deuja.