BAITADI, Oct 23: After a video of an excavator haphazardly attacking the residents of Dasharath Chand Municipality went viral on social media, the District Police Office, Baitadi, arrested the driver of the earthmover for further investigation.
On Monday, Kishor Bohara, the driver of the excavator, attacked the residents while they were protesting the construction of a road in the region. A total of eight persons were injured in the incident. A 25-year-old girl Gauri Joshi was seriously injured when the blade of the excavator hit her. She is receiving treatment in Dhangadhi.
Think beyond roads
Police have also arrested the president of the consumer committee and two other persons for investigation, according to DSP Dilli Narayan Pandey, chief of the District Police Office, Baitadi. The locals were protesting against the construction of the road along Sunakhan and Parsa. According to the police, Gauri Joshi and Surendra Prasad Joshi are receiving treatment in Dhangadhi, while Narayan Joshi, Santosh Joshi, Pushkar Joshi, Dinesh Joshi, Bhesraj Joshi and Dharmanada Joshi have returned home after receiving treatment at the district hospital. According to Hansaraj Joshi, a local resident, the excavator haphazardly hit the protesters.
“The land where the earthmover was excavating belongs to the local Guthi. The excavator was randomly hitting the residents,” he said.
Meanwhile, Keshav Dutta Joshi, president of the construction committee, claimed that the residents suddenly started hitting stones at the excavator. The tussle started once the residents started attacking the excavator with stones, he claimed. According to Harish Chandra Joshi, ward chairman of Dasharath Chand Municipality-9, the dispute started when the excavator didn't dig in the designated area. The chief district officer (CDO), Ananda Paudel, few days back, had suggested the residents and the construction committee to settle the dispute over road construction through discussions.
Meanwhile, the Nepali Congress (NC) has issued a press statement showing concerns over the attack by the excavator on the residents. The statement issued by Krishna Prasad Sitaula, chief secretary of NC, reads, “The attack by the excavator on the protestors is unacceptable. The infrastructural development should benefit the residents of the region.”
NC also urges the government to properly investigate into the case, and take the responsibility of treating the injured in the case. The statement also demands proper investigation, and action against those involved in the case.
