He allegedly thrashed a group of 17 persons looking for wild fruits and vegetables with the handle of an axe after they reached the spot of penance breaching a security cordon. [break]
"I took minor action against them after taking them under control when they came to disrupt my meditation. I let them go after they apologized," President of the Namo Buddha Tapowan Management Committee Ved Bahadur Thing quoted Bamjan as saying.
The locals were taken under control at around 2 pm on Thursday and released on Friday noon. The committee has installed a barbed wire fence around the place of penance.
Many have fallen ill due to the thrashing. One Prahlad Chaudhary sustained minor head injury. "He struck on our back and head with an axe handle. He didn´t relent even after we apologized," Dev Narayan Chaudhary, 45, of Manaharwa-6 told mediapersons Saturday morning.
Chaudhary said the group couldn´t retaliate against the man whom they have been worshiping till now. "There were 17 of us and we could have retaliated. But we couldn´t do anything other than join our hands in apology," he added.
Locals said Bamjan thrashed them inside a house near the area of penance. "He would thrash us and then go out for rest after getting tired," Rajesh Majhi complained.
The Bamjan associates even gave the locals paracetamol and amoxycillin tablets as precaution against fever and infection. Prahlad was even given a tetanus injection for his head injury and all the locals were given food in the evening.
The committee, however, claimed that the action was taken as the locals had made a well-planned attempt to disrupt the penance.
"He (Bamjan) had taken action against miscreants even in the past," Thing said and urged people not to disturb a man on a peaceful penance. "The locals deserved action as they reached the spot, where even we are forbidden, on bicycles and smoked cigarettes," he argued.
The thrashed locals have lodged a formal complaint with the police Saturday morning. "The villagers have demanded action against Bamjan. "We have initiated investigation," said in-charge at a local police post Bhishma Kumar Lamsal.
SP Manoj Neupane said a team led by inspector Rudra Kanta Jha has been sent to Manaharwa. "We will take further action after finding the facts," Neupane said.
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