Rukum, May 6

A clash erupted between cadres of the Nepali Congress and the CPN-Maoist Centre over civic polls at different places in Rukum today, leaving scores injured.

Around a dozen NC and Maoist Centres cadres were injured when Maoist activists attacked NC cadres at Triveni Rural Municipality-8. Some motorcycles and vehicles used for election campaigns by the NC were set ablaze this evening, said NC candidate Dev Bahadur Oli from Triveni Rural Municipality.

Oli said that six of the party’s candidates were injured in the incident. NC accused CPN-MC cadres of attacking them. The situation is still tense, he said.

Similarly, Rukum CPN-Maoist Centre chair Gopal Sharma said three of the party’s cadres were injured in the NC’s attack. Sharma alleged that the clash ensued due to NC’s ‘stubbornness’.

A large number of security personnel have been deployed to contain the situation, said Rukum police.

Likewise, seven persons were injured in a clash that broke out between NC and Maoist cadres at Musikot Municipality-2, Rukum. The clash erupted when Young Communist League cadres threw an NC flag hoisted at the house of a Dalit candidate from the NC at Musikot-2. The injured are Ramesh Khadka, Subash Khadka, Jeevan Khadka, Bhog Bahadur Khadka, Anil Pun Magar, Dal Bahadur Khadka, and Dambar BK. They have received deep cuts on their heads.