Four police personnel and three locals were injured on Monday after members of the public clashed with police over distribution of relief materials to households affected by the Covid-19 crisis in Siraha.

The incident at Mirchaiya Municipality Ward No.8 took place as 200 people from impoverished households sought relief from the ward office, but found their names excluded on the list of beneficiaries, said Santu Jaisawal, Deputy Superintendent of Police at the Area Police Office, Mirchaiya.

Jaiswal said that police personnel were forced to fire tear gas and warning shots in the air to prevent and ensure law and order. “The four police personnel and three locals have sustained minor injuries.”

The ward office distributed essentials to 276 impoverished families on its list on Monday. Ward chair Ram Kumar Yadav said that the 200 families not on the list will also receive supplies soon. “There are 200 households not on the list. But we will distribute relief materials to them also, soon.”

The ward office distributed 12 kg rice, one kg pulses, a packet of salt, soya chunks and cooking oil to the impoverished families as relief. Rameshwor Yadav, a local of Mirchaiya whose name was not on the list, said, “We are suffering, so we had to resort to protests when our names were not on the list. The security personnel forced us out from the ward office when we started protesting.”

Locals and security personnel also clashed during relief distribution at Sukhipur Municipality Ward No. 2 on Sunday. The agitated locals had pelted stones at the ward office alleging that the people’s representatives distributed relief materials only to better-off families. Police had to resort to baton-charging them to take the situation under control.

In Chakraghatta Rural Municipality, Sarlahi, too locals staged a sit-in in front of the District Administration Office on Monday saying that they too have been deprived of relief supplies. Ram Kailash Ram, a local of Padariya, said, “There are 500 households in the ward, including 40 households of Chamars. We are yet to receive relief from the ward office even when all other families have received it. Those who have plenty of food grains also received relief. That’s why we are protesting.”

Ram, along with his neighbours, had been organising a sit-in in front of the rural municipal office for the last one week. According to Ram, they went to the District Administration Office on Monday as their concerns were not addressed by the rural municipal office.

In Samsi Rural Municipality, Mahottari, locals demonstrated outside the mayor’s office demanding essential supplies. Many in Samsi have been struggling to make a living in the wake of the coronavirus crisis, as the government imposed a lockdown.

On Monday, agitated locals encircled the local unit’s office, accusing it of failing to provide essential supplies even after 40 days since the lockdown began. The local unit had previously promised locals it would provide supplies relief and collected the names of residents in dire need of relief. The local unit hasn’t kept its promise.

The rural municipality had disbursed Rs 1 million to each ward to buy relief supplies, according to Shesh Faruk, rural municipality chief. The wards, however, distributed masks and sanitisers, instead of food.

Om Prakash Thakur in Sarlahi and Santosh Singh in Mahottari contributed reporting.