Kavre, December 26:

Accusing employees of the Dhulikhel-based Temporary Revenue Checkpost of giving shelter to robbers, people of Dhulikhel obstructed vehicular movement on the Araniko highway today. The aggressive crowd set the checkpost ablaze, stopped a jeep (registration number Ba 4 Cha 371) of The Himalayan Times, and beat jeep driver Kumar Lama and distributor of the daily Prithvi Bahadur Thapa. The two were returning after distributing copies of Annapurna Post and The Himalayan Times in Dhulikhel. “They beat us even after we showed them our identity cards,” Thapa said. The locals had caught Raju Lama and Sujan Bharati of Khaba and Ram Dahal of Panchkhal with swords and khukuris last night and handed them over to police. Accusing police of setting them free the same night, the locals launched an agitation and obstructed the highway. The locals also accused the armed police of beating them.

Bharati has been claiming that he is not a robber. The locals and the local administration suspect that Lama, Bharati and Dahal are involved in robberies as weapons were recovered from their rooms. Police said they have seized a sword and a khukuri from their rooms.

Demanding that the revenue checkpost be shifted and the robbers be punished, the agitated people also called bandh in Banepa and Dhulikhel bazaar. An agreement was reached this evening between police administration, locals and representatives of the political parties to punish the accused.