People demanding a municipality clashed with police at Bhurigaun in Bardiya as they tried to block the East-West Highway on Saturday.

Police charged batons to disperse the locals who obstructed vehicular movement for an hour. At least seven people were injured in the clash. Superintendent of Police Tanka Bahadur Khatri said one constable was also hurt.

People have been demanding that Babai, Suryapatuwa, Shivapur and Thakurdwar VDCs be brought together to form Thakurbaba Municipality. The technical committee of the Local Level Restructuring Committee proposed, after holding an all-party meeting, four municipalities and one village council in the district. However, the locals are dissatisfied at the proposal.

Jiban Shahi, general secretary of the Bardiya Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the recommendations made by the technical committee were unsatisfactory. “The committee lied to us,” he said.

Local Development Officer Tejraj Sharma, coordinator of the district committee, said the area cannot be declared a municipality as its population is below 60,000.

The protest has affected educational institutions, trade and business activities in Babai for the past three days.