Nawalparasi, December 23:

The Mahendra Highway was obstructed at Kawasoti of Nawalparasi district only half an hour after it was opened after a two-day obstruction. The police, however, forcefully opened the highway at about 7.45 pm in the evening.

A group of locals had obstructed the highway after a truck crushed a local woman Rama Devkota to death at 5.00 pm this evening. The truck and the driver of the latest incident have yet to be identified, said area police office Kawasoti.

The highway had remained closed for two days since yesterday morning after locals obstructed the road to press the authority concerned to act swiftly arrange compensation for the death of one Koshraj Timilsina a month ago.

The road had been reopened at 4:30 pm today in the presence of CDO Govinda Khanal and the representatives of the seven parties at the district administration office, Nawalparasi. The meeting had decided to provide Rs 550,000 to the family of the bereaved as compensation. Vice president of Nawalparasi unit of Nepali Congress Mahadev Prasad Gupta, office secretary Bishnu Lamichhane, CPN-UML’s Tilal Mahat, Janamorcha Nepal’s president Khadga Bahadur Thanet, Marxist Leninist’ Gyan Hari Pattel, FNJ Nawalparasi’s president Keshav Parajuli had signed at the agreement paper.

Saturday’s obstruction of road had left stranded hundreds of vehicles and passengers. Infuriated passengers had pelted stones shouting slogans against the area police office Kawasoti.

The police had opened four rounds tear gas shells and rained batons to control the mob at night. Two policemen and three passengers were hurt in the brawl. The injured were Ram Kunwar of Kawasoti, Ram Bahadur Chhetri of Dailekh and Dipak BK of Surkhet have returned home after treatment. Names of the injured policemen have not been disclosed.