The situation at a juvenile centre in Birta of Birgunj Metropolitan City remained tense on Tuesday night following a clash among the inmates.

The clash ensued after a group of inmates, transferred from a juvenile centre in Sanothimi, Bhaktapur, physically assaulted the leader of the juvenile inmates at the reform centre.

The recently transferred inmates are among those who had clashed with the police and fled the inmate centre run by UCEP (Underprivileged Children’s Educational Programmes) in Madhyapur Thimi Municipality-2 on August 21. They were recaptured and transferred to Birgunj

Twenty security personnel and 15 juvenile inmates were injured in Tuesday’s incident.

A team of Nepal Police under Superintendent Komal Shah reached the incident site in an effort to quell the clash last night.

“The clash seems to have occurred after the group from Bhaktapur physically assaulted the leader of the juvenile inmates on Tuesday night,” said Shah. “The police lobbed tear gas to control the situation after the inmates started pelting stones at the security personnel.”

Shah informed that 10 of the 11 inmates injured in the clash were those transferred from Bhaktapur.

The injured were taken to Narayani Hospital for treatment, said Shah.

Shah claimed that the juvenile inmates transferred from Bhaktapur had been causing problems and arguing over simple matters.

Meanwhile, the inmates had earlier complained of being served stale food and of being tortured inside the reform centre.

The Birgunj-based reform centre currently houses 149 juvenile inmates.