At least 24 persons, including members of the CPN-UML-affiliated All Nepal National Free Students’ Union (ANNFSU), a police official and a civilian were injured after demonstrating students waved black flags at the Minister for Forest and Soil Conservation, Salim Miya Ansari, in Kalaiya on Sunday.
A scuffle between the security personnel and ANNFSU members erupted as the latter were waving black flags at Ansari.
Nearly two dozen students, including Rabindra Singh, Bhagirath Giri, Pappu Kumar Singh, Dipendra Patel, Dhrub Yadav, Pankaj Pandey, Hari Sundar Shah, Modit Adhikari, Rajesh Patel, Akhtar Mansoor and Bishnu Poudel were injured.
In the melee that lasted hardly 15 minutes, assistant police inspector Panna Lal Shah and a bystander Chandi Paswan were also injured.
After the incident, supporters of the seven political parties set ablaze the welcome arches that had been erected in honour of the minister, reports said.
Meanwhile, Minister for Foreign Affairs Ramesh Nath Pandey had also faced black flags waved by ANNFSU activists at Simra Chowk while he was en route to Birgunj from Simra airport.
Students shouted slogans calling for restoration of complete democracy and a rollback of the February 1 takeover, report quoted ANNFSU central member Tara Karki as saying.