Pokhara, 19 October | A tense situation has flared up in Janakpurdham‘s Sonarpatti area after a clash broke out between police and local businessmen following a raid on a newly opened jewelry shop on the eve of the Tihar festival. The incident occurred last night at around 8 PM at Sanjay Thakur‘s jewelry store, located south of the Janaki Temple, when police in plain clothes arrived based on a special tip-off. To bring the situation under control, police resorted to firing seven rounds in the air and deploying two cells of tear gas, according to the District Police Office, Dhanusha.
DSP Ganesh Bahadur Bam, the acting chief of the District Police Office, Dhanusha, who commanded the police team, stated that approximately 7 kilograms of silver were recovered without proper bills or invoices. According to DSP Bam, the situation escalated when Surendra Bhandari, President of the Janakpurdham Chamber of Commerce and Industry, arrived as police were preparing the seizure report, having called in the leadership of the Gold and Silver Dealers Association. Bhandari allegedly insisted that the silver could not be taken and, along with other businessmen, became aggressive, telling people to “chase the police” and starting an assault, leading to the clash.
Meanwhile, Fuldev Pandit, General Secretary of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, accused the police of creating terror on the eve of Dhanteras. Pandit claimed that initially, five plain-clothed police officers entered the shop on the pretext of having an anklet made and then demanded all the silver. Subsequently, 20-25 more police arrived, attempting to forcibly take the silver. When businessmen gathered to protest the action on the festival’s eve, the police suddenly began a lathi-charge, followed by the use of aerial firing and tear gas. Bhandari was injured during this process, while DSP Bam reported that 10 police personnel were also injured in the scuffle. Pandit has threatened a strong protest movement if action is not taken against the police.
The Chief District Officer of Dhanusha, Shankar Hari Acharya, confirmed that the police did not formally inform him about the raid beforehand. However, DSP Bam asserted that the raid was conducted after coordinating with the Revenue Investigation Department, Pathlaiya, following information that silver was being sold to evade revenue. The transfer of the previous SP, Narahari Regmi, and DSP Bam’s own arrival in Dhanusha just four days prior to the incident were also noted.
