Tarun Dal cadres threaten BPKIHS staff

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE

DHARAN: Tension ran high at BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences in Dharan after a clash, albeit briefly, erupted between staff, nurses and helpers at the hospital and some Tarun Dal activists who had threatened the agitating employees to call off their protest and return to work immediately.

Nurses and other staff at the hospital have halted work at the hospital for the last three days, demanding that the hospital management pay them increased salary from the fiscal year 2011/12.

Bhupadhowj Budhathoki, a staffer at BPKIHS, said a group of more than 70 activists of Tarun Dal, sister wing of the Nepali Congress, today accosted agitating staff who were staging a sit-in at the hospital gate and threatened to finish off Shreenath Rai and Somnath Rimal who have been leading the protest. “The Tarun Dal cadres, who were carrying NC flags, roughed up some agitating staff, and threatened to finish them off,” alleged Budhathoki. “When agitating staff retaliated, a clash flared up. Police had to intervene to disperse Tarun Dal cadres.”

DSP Rajendra Shrestha said police’s timely intervention averted any untoward incident. Agitating staff have accused Vice-chancellor BP Das of ‘deploying goons to disrupt’ their peaceful protest. Aarati Sharma, another staffer at the hospital, said Das should take the responsibility if any untoward incident took place. Das was not available for comments.

Devendra Limbu, chairman of Tarun Dal Dharan Municipality Committee, however, denied that activists of his outfit had issued any death threats to agitating hospital employees. “We had only urged them to halt their agitation and return to work, as hundreds of patients are suffering due to their protest,” said Limbu.