NEPALGUNJ, May 5: A clash between the local people and police has erupted at Tribeni Mode of Nepalgunj on Tuesday. When the police tried to disperse the crowd defying the lockdown order in the city, the clash broke out, according to eyewitnesses.  

During the confrontation, police baton-charged some people on the street. As a counterattack, the locals hurled stones on the police. 

According to an eyewitness, the clash broke out when the police tried to disperse the crowd of the people who were there to buy daily essentials before the curfew order was enforced at 11 am today. In the course of the clash, the enraged locals also vandalized a police van. 

When asked about the incident, Superintendent of Police (SP) Bir Bahadur Oli, the chief at District Police Office, Banke, said that the locals started hurling stones at the police all of a sudden when the latter were informing the locals about the restriction order by miking. According to him, the police had been informing the locals about the curfew since early morning. “When we asked them not to form a crowd, the clash erupted.”

Some police personnel and locals have sustained injuries in the clash. 

A large number of policemen have been mobilized in the area following the clash. 

Nepalgunj Sub-metropolitan City was declared a restricted zone on Monday. An all-party meeting held on Monday decided to declare the city a restricted zone in view of the steep rise in COVID-19 cases in the city.

The restriction began at 11 am today and ends at midnight 12 on May 7. 

The city will also accelerate throat swab testing of the people owing to the rising COVID-19 cases.

 
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