A clash ensued between protesters and police during a protest staged by the Swargadwari Trust Tenant Farmers Struggle Committee at New Baneshwar on Sunday.

According to Superintendent of Police Apilraj Bohara, spokesperson for Kathmandu Police Range, police tried to disperse the demonstrators as they attempted to breach the restricted zone, leading to a clash.

SP Bohara said Deputy Superintendent of Police Ganga Paudel sustained injuries in the clash and has been taken to Civil Hospital for treatment.

Likewise, police have arrested 12 protesters.

Tenant farmers have been protesting in Kathmandu for the past few weeks, calling for enacting laws that would benefit tenant farmers.

The Swargadwari Ashram, a revered shrine in Pyuthan district established in 1941, owns 1,034 bigha and 17 kattha (over 700 hectares) of land in Dang. Tenant farmers have been tilling 753 bigha (510 hectares) of the trust’s land for generations. Initially, 289 tenant families cultivated the land, but the number has since risen to 3,500 households, with over 15,000 individuals dependent on tenant farming.

Due to legal complications, the land of the Swargadwari Ashram has dual ownership. In 2006, the Supreme Court issued a mandamus order, stating that the land of Swargadwari Ashram could not be fragmented, as it is a private trust with specific characteristics. However, hundreds of tenant farmers have been demanding ownership of the land they have been cultivating for years. The protest continues as the farmers push for a resolution to this ongoing issue.