KATHMANDU, May 24: A violent clash broke out between two factions during an extended meeting of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) in Bara, leaving three people, including two municipal chairpersons, injured.
The incident occurred Saturday at Karanraj Party Palace in Kalaiya after a dispute escalated between lawmakers and long-time party workers attending the district-level gathering.
Those injured include Mahagadhimai Municipality Chair Bikram Yadav, Simraungadh Municipality Chair Saheb Ansari, and one other participant. All are receiving treatment at Kalaiya Provincial Hospital.
RSP Bara founding chair Chandan Swarnakar said tensions rose after senior and founding members were allegedly assaulted during the meeting. The clash quickly spread as arguments over internal party disputes turned physical.
Injured municipal chair Bikram Yadav accused lawmaker Arbind Sah of grabbing his hand and directing others to attack him. The opposing faction claimed that lawmakers had brought outsiders to intimidate long-time party cadres.
The confrontation reportedly began when veteran workers demanded clarification over allegations that tickets for upcoming local elections had been sold in advance.
Internal tensions in the district unit had already been rising after the general membership of founding district chair Chandan Swarnakar was revoked, deepening divisions between local leaders and lawmakers.
Although the party had sent central representative Kamani Chaudhary to mediate and manage the meeting, the situation escalated beyond control. Angry cadres allegedly attempted to attack party representatives and all four district lawmakers present.
Security personnel later escorted lawmakers Ganesh Dhimal, Chandan Singh, Arbind Sah, Rahbar Ansari, and central representative Kamani Chaudhary out of the venue.
The founding faction accused newly joined members of trying to take control of the district committee while sidelining long-time cadres who built the party at the grassroots level.
Later, the lawmakers held a press conference in Kalaiya, denying any violence. They claimed the meeting remained peaceful and dismissed reports of clashes as misinformation.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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