Dang, February 5:

The Tharuhat Autonomous State Council (TASC) today made public its army amidst a press conference at Gangdi jungle in Rajapur VDC of Deukhuri valley.

The council paraded 125 uniformed army men equipped with domestic weapons. “We formed the army so as to mount pressure on the government to meet our demands, as the government did not pay heed to our demands,” council chairman Laxman Tharu said. He issued a one-month ultimatum to the government to meet its demands. He warned of launching armed agitation by increasing the army size to one lakh if the government did not address their demands. The council said it would run its own administration in the Tharuhat region with the help of the army after formulating rules and regulations within a month.

The council has padlocked five VDC offices in the district for denying donations to the outfit.