Violence erupts at Tarun Dal convention in Lamjung; 5 injured

KATHMANDU: A violent clash erupted during the fifth district convention of Nepal Tarun Dal in Lamjung, leaving five people injured in a khukuri attack following a dispute over delegate selection.

According to the District Police Office, Lamjung, Besisahar-9 Ward Chairperson and regional president of Tarun Dal, Khusijung Gurung, and Nepal Student Union (NSU) central member Sudeep Adhikari sustained serious injuries. They received initial treatment at District Hospital Besisahar and were later referred to Chitwan for advanced care.

Three others — Shankar Sapkota, Kishor Basnet, and Dhan Bahadur Tamang — are being treated at the district hospital.

Police confirmed that no arrests have been made so far, though preparations are underway to file a formal complaint from the victims. DSP Resham Bohora, Chief of Lamjung Police, said the dispute stemmed from disagreements over delegate selection criteria outlined in the party’s statute.

As per the Tarun Dal charter, each ward should elect four delegates, one inclusive representative, and an additional district delegate if the ward has over 35 general members. However, dissatisfaction arose as many wards failed to select delegates, sparking tensions.

The controversy intensified as only a few of the 72 wards across Lamjung’s eight local units participated in the selection. Some wards, including those from Sundarbazar Municipality-Dhuseni, reportedly did not send any delegates at all.

The violence is believed to be the result of infighting between two rival factions within the Nepali Congress party. The Shekhar Koirala–Gagan Thapa faction accused the Sher Bahadur Deuba-led group of launching a khukuri attack to seize control of the convention. All five injured individuals are said to be affiliated with the Shekhar-Gagan camp.

On the other hand, Lamjung Congress President and Gandaki Province Finance Minister Dr. Tanka Raj Gurung, aligned with the Deuba faction, claimed that external interference disrupted the convention. “It’s unrealistic to expect us to remain idle when attacked by outsiders. The incident must be investigated and the guilty punished,” he stated.

Meanwhile, Bhesh Bahadur Paudel, Lamjung’s former Congress President and Gandaki Province Forest and Environment Minister from the Shekhar-Gagan faction, condemned the incident as a premeditated attack. “We never imagined weapons would be used in a fraternal organization’s convention,” he said.

He called for lawful action against the perpetrators and stressed the need to uphold fair competition in accordance with the party’s constitution.