By Janarjan Khatri, Sarlahi, Oct. 14: Over 20 police officials including Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) and spokesperson of Sarlahi district Police Office Madan Kunwar, DSP at Area Police Office, Barhathawa, Uddhav Singh Bhat and Inspector at Area Police Office, Haripur, Bikram Shah have been injured in the scuffle between the police and Nepali Congress activists here at the district headquarters, Malangwa this afternoon.

The tussle between the police and NC activists erupted as the NC demonstrators reached the district police office.

The NC had staged protest rally under leadership of NC leader Amresh Kumar Singh at Malangwa demanding NC activist Mahendra Ram to be declared as martyr and registration of complaint from the family of the deceased.

Ram was killed due to beating of a group at Sisaut in Ramnagar Municipality-7 a week back.

Santosh Singh Rathaur, SP of Sarlahi district police, said over 20 police personnel were injured including two DSPs.

Similarly, 10 personnel of Armed Police Force including inspector Ram Kumar Jha have also been injured in the scuffle.

Singh said wife of deceased Ram was also injured due to police baton charge.

Inured police officials and the demonstrators are undergoing treatment at different hospitals in the district.

The police had used about 30 round of tear gas to disperse the mob of the demonstrators as the demonstrators pelted stone at the police office leaving window glasses of the residence of the district police chief broken and partial damage to a police vehicle inside the office.

SP Rathaur said that the demonstrators started to pelt stone at the district police office once it reached here although there was agreement beforehand that the rally would be peaceful.

"They said they would demonstrate peacefully. But, hundreds of people started pelting stone at the office suddenly and we used tear gas and baton charge to prevent further damage and take situation under control," said SP Rathaur.

NC leader Singh, however, blamed the police for using excessive force against the peaceful demonstration which resulted in the nasty scuffle.

"We had a programme wherein a couple of people would go inside the police office to register the first information report while others would be staging sit-in outside the office. But the police used force unnecessarily and even the wife of the deceased was baton charged," said NC leader Singh.

Body of Ram who died at a hospital in Birgunj while under treatment has not been received by his family.

The police said investigation into the case was underway as three were arrested in connection to the incident. SP Rathaur said that the police had rejected to register the complaint as it was against those who were not involved in the incident.