Himalayan News Service

Biratnagar, March 17 :

The Informal Sector Service Centre (INSEC) has claimed that securitymen in plainclothes manhandled health workers and officials of the Madhumalla VDC post office on February 16. It has demanded an investigation into the incident.

Poush Raj Adhikary, INSEC eastern development zone coordinator, said security personnel manhandled innocent civilians without provocation and demanded the government own responsibility for the incident.

After an independent probe, Informal Sector Service Centre said the securitymen tied up four

post officials and four health workers and beat them badly. The securitymen stomped the eight with their boots and also hit them with rifle-butts.

Rajendra Prasad Shah and Madhav Prasad Sanjel of the health post, and Tanka Pokhrel of the post office are still undergoing treatment, Adhikary said. He added 18 women, present at the health post for vaccination that day, were also kept cooped up in the premises. Sources said the securitymen flew into a lather after sighting a Maoist flag in the village development committee and a banner tacked to a betel nut tree.

Aita Lal Rai, Arjun Limbu, Dharma Raj Rai, Sher Bahadur Rai and Dinesh Shrestha were also taken from Ramite Khola village development committee bazaar and tortured at the army camp in Charali. They were released later.

Sources said the securitymen were drunk that day and guilty of violating human rights.