A police officer died of bullet wounds he suffered during a clash with Tharuhat supporters at Mainapokhari in Bardiya district on Friday.

Head Constable Dev Bahadur Pandey, who had been shot in both his legs, bled to death as he was being taken to Nepalgunj for treatment. The clash erupted when police personnel were tying to escort two passenger buses that had arrived from Kathmandu, said Deputy Inspector General Keshav Adhikari.

“An unidentified gunman had fired at police from a nearby cornfield in which Head Constable was hit,” said DIG Adhikari.

A leader of Tharuhat Struggle Committee, however, claimed that Pandey had accidentally shot himself while trying to shoot at protesters.

Locals said the protest was largely peaceful until the buses en route to Gulariya, the district headquarters, reached Mainapokhari. When the protesters stopped the vehicles police intervened. After some time, the locals claimed, two police trucks arrived at the scene and tried to escort the buses, it was then when the clash ensued.

Police fired nine warning shots into the air to disperse the protesters. A team led by district police chief Govinda Pariyar who investigated the incident reported that the

protesters were the  first one to open fire. Three police officers, besides Pandey, were hurt in the incident. The number of casualties on the protesting side could not be ascertained. Police held three Tharuhat supporters Ram Naresh Tharu, Ram Harsha Chaudhary and Abinash Tharu for investigation.