Rautahat, July 16:

Nine activists of the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF), including its district president Ganesh Yadav, treasurer Amar Yadav and MJF Youth Front president Nand Kishore Sah were arrested after they tried to gherao the Rautahat district administration office (DAO) today.

Rautahat chief district officer (CDO) Durga prasad Bhandari said the MJF activists barged into the DAO, staged a noisy demonstration demanding a freeze on the development grant. They also padlocked the treasury and accounts departments in the DAO. Police arrested them and reopened the departments.

A statement of the MJF appeared in the newspapers this morning accusing the DDC and the eight political parties of collusion and gobbling up the funds allocated for the fiscal year 2063-2064 BS.

CDO Bhandari said the NJF men were arrested after they created a commotion while the local administration, heads of the treasury and accounts departments and district leaders of the eight political parties were holding talks on the issue.

Security has been tightened in Gaur after the arrest of the MJF men. Meanwhile, MJF cadres have begun fanning out in the town and staging protests to demand the release of the nine arrested MJF men.