KAILALI, Dec 12: Police and protestors demanding justice for Kanchanpur rape and murder victim Nirmala Panta clashed in Dhangadhi when the protestors tried to paste Nirmala’s posters in front of the chief minister’s office on Tuesday.
Protesters would paste the posters while the police would remove them and in the process, a clash ensued. “We are just demanding justice for Nirmala and pasting the posters. Why does the police have to tear the posters and use force against us?” a local youth Bhesh Bam said.
After police intervention, the enraged protestors burnt tires and burnt the chief minister Trilochan Bhatta in effigy and chanted slogans against the government. “We would have concluded the protest peacefully had police not torn the posters,” said Bam, adding, “But police kept provoking the protestors.”
Vehicular movement in the area was obstructed for a while. Addressing the protesters, Tapendra Bhusal, a local youth, expressed his disappointment toward the government apathy in the investigations into the rape and murder. “Far-west has always been neglected by the government. Even the provincial government is not paying much attention to our concerns,” said Bhusal. He also accused the government of trying to protect the perpetrator(s) and framing innocent people.
“The government is busy framing innocents like Chakra Badu and Dilip Singh Bista in the case,” he said, adding,” Even now it is trying to frame two innocent individuals.”