khandbari bazzar

Protests have sparked violence in Khandbari.

When I spoke with Tejanath earlier this morning, he reported that the Maoists have called for a strike in Khandbari which has resulted in a 4-day disturbance to date. The Maoists have been fighting with police. Police have fired shots (plastic bullets) at them and injured 6. The Maoists have closed down all shops and Khandbari Bazaar.

The disturbance apparently started following a dispute in the free students election at Barun Campus Khandbari. This election is to select the student union, whose role is to help run the college smoothly. Tejanath reported that the election has not gone as planned due to outside political influences. There was a demonstration being held at the campus, the police tried to stop the demonstration resulting in the students throwing rocks at the police. Four policemen have also been injured.

The Journalist Association arranged for talks among all concerned groups, but this was not fruitful in ending the disturbance. Tejanath also reported he is hearing that this has spread to other areas as well.

At the present time, a curfew has been instituted, no shops are open, no cars or busses are running and no offices open. Everything has been shut down by the Young Communist League including local government offices. Tejanath reported that it is not yet safe, but hopes that things will be resolved soon.

Savapokhari is a Village Development Committee in Sankhuwasabha District in the Kosi Zone of north-eastern Nepal. At the time of the 1991 Nepal census it had a population of 2834 people residing in 485 individual households.