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18 cops hurt in farmer clash in W.Nepal
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-12-05 11:42
KATHMANDU -- As many as 18 policemen were injured in a clash with farmers in Bardiya district in western Nepal Thursday afternoon.

The farmers were staging a protest, demanding a hike in the price of rice, The Himalayan Times reported on Friday.

Superintendent of Police of Bardiya Ganesh KC said up to 800 farmers had padlocked the Rajapur-based food corporation office, some 390 km southwest of Nepali capital Kathmandu, and had shut the bazaar.

He added that the situation became tense after the agitating farmers pelted Rajapur-based area administration office with stones, forcing the police to intervene.

The police fired 10 rounds in the air to control the mob, KC said. None of the farmers was injured in the clashes, he added. The injured policemen are undergoing treatment in Bardiya district hospital.

The police later unlocked the food corporation but normalcy returned only after the police mobilized a large number of security personnel, KC said.

He said, "The price offered is better than what was paid last year. They may be reviewed some time later."