Birendranagar, Aug. 10: Locals of Surkhet, agitated over the division of the mid-western region in the proposed demarcation of federal units, have vandalized and set ablaze the houses of Nepali Congress Joint General Secretary and former Home Minister Purna Bahadur Khadka and CA member Hridayaram Thani here this afternoon.
The agitation that began on Sunday demanding an undivided Mid-west and Surkhet as the provincial capital took a violent turn today, with the party offices of the three major parties coming under attack. Some government offices including the District Administration Office have also been vandalized.
A clash took place between the agitators and police as the latter tried to stop them from setting the house of CA member Khadka ablaze. Four people sustained bullet injuries during the scuffle. The injured are undergoing treatment at Mid-western Regional Hospital, Kalagaon.
Following the incident, the local administration has imposed a curfew from 1:00 this afternoon to 9:00 pm.
The agitators have meanwhile said that their struggle will continue until the decision of the parties to divide the mid-west into two different provinces is not corrected. They have also demanded that the mid-western region be declared the seventh province, with Surkhet as its capital. RSS
