The Armed Police Force (APF) that was escorting the tankers fired in the air to disperse the Tharu protestors. Earlier, the police escorted the tankers to Surkhet.
Banke police chief Mingmar Lama said that the police fired in the air as the crowd pelting stones at the police. Nine policemen have been wounded in the clash.
The Tharus have been enforcing banda (general strike) for more than a week in the Tarai over their demands – scrapping an ordinance that lists them as Madhesi group, proportional reservation in all public services for ethnic groups on the basis of population, and replacing the word "Madhes" in the Interim Constitution with "Tarai".
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