GORKHA: Workers of the Young Communist League (YCL), a youth-wing of the main opposition party - Unified CPN-Maoist - thrashed all the teachers of the Syartan Lower Secondary School, Kharibot, in Gorkha district, yesterday. They also beat up the headmaster and guardians.

The YCL men punched school teachers Ghiridhari Bhatt, Saroj Adhikari and Dilip Dhital. They also pounded Ram Chandra Dhital, the headmaster, Teknidhi Pokhrel, chairman, school management committee, Mohan Prasad Dhital, chairman, teachers-guardian association and Krishna Prasad Dhital of the Nepal Teachers Association.

Horrified by the incident, the teachers closed down the school and fled to district headquarters for their safety.They informed that the YCL men mercilessly thrashed Ram Chandra Dhital, the headmaster, Teknidhi Pokhrel, chairman, school management committee, Mohan Prasad Dhital, chairman, teachers-guardian association and Krishna Prasad Dhital of the Nepal Teachers Association.

The YCL men punched school teachers Ghiridhari Bhatt, Saroj Adhikari and Dilip Dhital.

“Over 30 YCL cadres led by Suman Pariyar beat us,” Krishna Dhital, a teacher said.

“I was teaching five grader when they stormed the school and started beating teachers,” he said, adding, “fearing the Maoists, I spent the entire night in Bhachchek Police Post.”

“The injured teachers are being treated at Gorkha hospital,” DSP, Suresh Basnet said.

When contacted, YCL district in-charge Ramesh Pokhrel said he was unaware of the incident.

YCL cadres claimed that Krishna Prasad Dhital, one of the teachers, was appointed illegally in the school. But headmaster Ram Chandra Dhital, refuted the claim and said the appointment of Dhital was legal.

Dhital previously worked at Jalakanya Secondary School, Lakuribot, but said he was expelled from the school by the Maoists because of his affiliation with the Nepali Congress-aligned teachers’ union.

When asked to comment, YCL in-charge said, “I will comment after gathering the details.”

The teachers who fled Gorkha bazaar closing down their school, knocked the doors of the district authority, demanding security and safety of their lives.

“We’ll never return to our duty unless our security is guaranted by the government, they said.

With the closure of school, some 400 students are going to miss their classrooms and future.