Police have arrested five workers of Kavre Minibus Sewa Samitee for attacking the driver of a Mayur Yatayat bus in Kavre on Sunday evening.Deputy Superintendent of Police Mahendra Prasad Marasaini said the attackers were apprehended at the scene by the bus passengers and Sanga locals and handed over to the police.

The arrestees are Tirtha Tiya, 35, of Banepa; Bijay Thapa, 24, of Sindhuli; Pari Chandra Shrestha,19, of Banepa; and Suman Dhimal, 21, of Jhapa. The five men had stopped the Banepa-bound Mayur Yatayat bus (Ba 5 Kha 1564) at Sanga on Sunday evening and attacked its driver Rameshwor Sunuwar.

Police believe the attack is tied to the recent government crackdown on transportation cartels trying to stop new companies from operating on their routes, Mayur Yatayat in case of Araniko Highway.   

Earlier this month, transportation cartels had unsuccessfully tried to obstruct the highway after the Department of Transport Management issued route permit to Mayur Yatayat. Their attempt to barricade the highway was thwarted when Banepa residents descended upon them.   

Mohan Shrestha, the chairman of Mayur Yatayat, said cartel thugs have attacked nine buses owned by the company since it began operating along the Banepa-Kathmandu route of the Araniko Highway on March 15. He added that Mayur Yatayat will not be fazed by these hostilities, because the company is backed by the general public.