Aagya Khabar
Sarlahi
An attempted attack was made on the Mayor of HariPurwa Municipality, Vinod Kumar Sah Teli, and the Chief Administrative Officer, Sikindra Prasad Sah, on Thursday evening.
According to reports, several ward chairpersons and local residents reached the official quarters of Chief Administrative Officer Sah, located in Lalbandi Bazaar along the East–West Highway, and attempted to vandalize the premises and assault both officials.
Eyewitnesses said the angry group destroyed tables, chairs, and other materials inside the officer’s room. During the police effort to control the crowd, Ward Chairperson of HariPurwa–6, Samsogarth Ray Yadav, sustained minor injuries.
Upon receiving information, a police team from Lalbandi Area Police Office immediately arrived at the scene and brought the situation under control. With the police intervention, both Mayor Teli and Officer Sah were safely evacuated.
Some locals and ward chairpersons have accused the Mayor and Chief Administrative Officer of running municipal operations from Lalbandi instead of the municipality itself, engaging in irregular activities, ignoring public grievances, and lacking transparency.
According to Ward Chairperson of HariPurwa–8, Rameshwar Ray, Officer Sah has been “secretly” handling official documents and important files from Lalbandi, often keeping them in his personal bag.
He added, “From employee appointments to contract selections, outsiders have been given priority, which has increased dissatisfaction among local representatives.”
However, Mayor Vinod Kumar Sah Teli described the incident as a planned attack by an unruly mob. He said, “We were discussing how to resume services after the earlier Jenji movement led to vandalism and arson in the office. At that moment, some individuals came and tried to attack us violently.”
The Mayor further accused some groups involved in previous protests of once again resorting to violent activities.
HariPurwa Municipality lies in the southeastern border region of Sarlahi District. In recent months, tensions have been rising between the Mayor and several ward chairpersons over administrative and financial decisions.
Police said that an investigation into the incident is underway, and security arrangements have been tightened.
