Dadeldhura, December 25

Locals of Syaule Bazaar in Amargadi Municipality of Dadeldhura staged a chakkajam here today seeking compensation for the death of the pillion rider in a bus-bike collision yesterday.

Pillion rider, Bharat Bohara, 20, of Sallaghari, Amargadhi-11, died on the spot and bike rider Mahendra Thagunna, 19, of Ganyapdhura Rural Municipality-3 was seriously injured when their motorbike was hit by a bus en-route to Bajhang from Mahendranagar, Kanchanpur,  near Chalise Mode in Amargadhi-1 yesterday afternoon.

Thagunna is undergoing treatment at Seti Hospital of Kailali.

Following the accident, the victims’ kin and locals took to the streets and obstructed vehicular movement at Syaule bazaar section of Bhimdatta Highway seeking compensation. Due to obstruction on the highway that connects seven hilly districts of Sudurpaschim Province, thousands of passengers have been stranded.

The demonstrators are also demanding treatment expenses for the injured and stringent action against the bus driver. Bohara’s body is now kept at Dadeldhura Hospital for post-mortem, but as there hasn’t been any agreement over the compensation, the post-mortem is yet to be done.

“Though the representatives of the transportation committee concerned assured compensation would be provided to the deceased’s family and all treatment expense of the injured would be covered, the locals continued obstructing the road insisting that they wanted to talk to the chairperson of the committee,” said Deputy Superintendent of Police at Dadeldhura District Police Office Dadhiram Neupane, adding that the chakajam, however, was lifted later in the evening.

Police had detained the driver and seized the bus yesterday itself. Investigation is under way, said the DSP.