Biratnagar, June 1:

Four leaders of the Maoist aligned All Nepal Trade Union Federation were arrested by the police from the office of the Sharada group in Biratnagar Munalpath today.

The leaders were there to inquire about the condition of workers staging a sit-in. The agitating workers were demanding the reinstatement of five expelled workers. Central member of the ANTUF Tej Lal Karna Suman Magarati, Bhola Prasai and Khagendra Bhandari were among the arrested. All of them have been kept at the district police office Morang.

According to a superintendent of police at the Morang district police office, the four leaders were arrested after they tried to remove obstructions placed at the office of the Sharada group.

Police chased the workers who had been staging the sit-in. However, the workers came back to the same place again to stage a sit-in. Karna said they will not go out of the police office till the police apologises and the group reinstates the expelled workers.

A dispute erupted one-and-a-half months ago following the abduction of a driver of the group, Ram Kumar Rajdhani.

The workers continued to stage sit-in seeking the reinstatement of workers expelled from the Pioneer Cable owned by the Sharada group.