The city of Bharatpur in Chitwan district remained tense throughout Wednesday as a result of clash between police and rickshaw operators. One protester sustained bullet injuries when police opened fire.

The clash broke erupted while the rickshaw operators were demonstrating outside the building of Chitwan District Administration Office to protest the decision of the local administration to ban three-wheelers on the highway. Security personnel intervened with force when the demonstrators started vandalising a local police beat post and obstruct the highway traffic.

The protesting rickshaw operators also threw stones at police, smashed some vehicles and torched a motorcycle.

Police said they fired 10 warning shots into the air and lobbed around 100 tear gas canisters to disperse the mob.

Mahendra Sunar, 30, sustained bullet injuries in his right leg in the incident.

He was admitted to Alive Hospital.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Prabhu Prasad Dhakal said security personnel were forced to fire warning shots after the protesters torched a motorcycle and hurled stones at the police beat post and the District Administration Office.

Fourteen officers were injured in the clash, he added.

The Bharatpur Metropolitan City had decided to bar all three wheelers-auto rickshaw, e-rickshaw, rickshaw and tempo-from plying on the highway from July 21. The three-wheel operators had then filed a writ petition at the Hetauda bench of the Patan High Court demanding that the decision be withdrawn.

The High Court had issued an interim order and urged not to implement the decision until July 23. As the duration of the interim order expired on Monday, the local administration had barred three-wheelers from plying on the highway from July 24.