Kathmandu, April 11
Altogether 19 persons were injured while celebrating the Biska jatra, a chariot-pulling festival, that began in Bhaktapur on Saturday.
Some were injured after falling off the chariot while some were injured in clashes that took place among the revellers.
As the chariot had reached Nasman at around 7:00 pm, 79-year-old Krishna Gopal Mulguthi and 26-year-old Dipesh Sangache were injured after coming under the wheels of the chariot, police say.
Likewise, Manish Sintakal, Ramesh Mata, Amik Tyayana, Sunil Bhujel were injured while pulling the chariot.
They are undergoing treatment in various hospitals in the Kathmandu valley.
At around 1:00 am, another clash took place among the groups involved in pulling the chariot. People pelted stones at each other after a dispute over following the route specified by Bhaktapur municipality.
The chariot-pulling resumed this morning and has been taken towards Gahiti.
Citing the Covid-19 fears, the District Administration Office had ordered the locals not to hold the festival this year, but the Supreme Court had stayed the decision owing to the locals’ warning of defiance.
