KATHMANDU, Oct 18: At least 11 people including 10 police personnel were injured in a violent clash that erupted between security personnel and locals in Sonarpatti, Janakpur on Friday night.
The incident occurred during a raid conducted by the District Police Office, Dhanusha, targeting Sanjay Thakur’s jewelry shop on suspicion of smuggling silver from India and selling it without proper bills or licenses. Police say they were acting on a tip-off about illegal silver being brought in from across the border.
“We had gone to raid based on information that silver was being brought illegally from India and sold without proper documentation,” said DSP Ganesh Bahadur Bam of Dhanusha Police. “The clash broke out after the influential businessman began gathering a mob against the police.”
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According to police, the mob was incited by Surendra Bhandari, a prominent local businessman and district chair of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI).
Police sources said Bhandari obstructed officers attempting to seize the illegal silver and encouraged locals to attack the police.
“We were about 10 to 15 personnel as some 200 angry locals began manhandling our personnel,” DSP Bam said. “Luckily, a police backup force arrived in time and prevented further escalation.”
During the operation, police fired 6 to 7 rounds of bullets into the air and lobbed 3 to 4 tear gas shells to disperse the crowd.
Ten police personnel were injured in the scuffle. Two of them sustained moderate head injuries. One businessman was also reported injured.
Authorities recovered seven kilograms of unbilled silver from the shop, which had no name or registration. The raid was conducted in coordination with the Department of Revenue Investigation.
Investigations are ongoing to trace the source of the silver and determine the full circumstances surrounding the clash. No arrests have been made so far.
