Itahari, August 28 :

Demanding that 34 bighas of land, which is registered in the name of the government, be re-registered in their names, people of village block of the Inaruwa bazaar, who have been occupying the land, locked up 43 staffers of the Sunsari Land Revenue Office in the office for seven hours today.

Demanding that the land be re-registered in their names, the people had launched an agitation three weeks ago.

“We were forced to stay in the office till 5 pm as the locals padlocked the main gate of the office once we entered the office in the morning, said the office chief,” Rohit Kumar Bhattarai. “Neither service-seekers could enter the office nor we could leave it,” Bhattarai said.

The land was registered in the name of the government in 1994, it is learnt.

Stating that the people occupying the land were still paying land tax, Bhattarai said the

office had record of the land tax paid.

“We will close the bazaar for an indefinite period from tomorrow if our demand were not met,” said coordinator of the struggle committee, Shashi Narayan Shah.