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Five security personnel were injured in a clash with protesters in Biratnagar on Tuesday. Province Police Office, Biratnagar said that three Nepal Police personnel and two Armed Police personnel were injured in the clash. The details of the injured police personnel have not been received yet. Police said that preparations are being made to take them to the hospital. It is not clear how many protesters were injured in the clash. The clash broke out after the security personnel tried to contain the demonstration organized to protest the naming of Koshi Province in Biratnagar. The situation became tense after the protesters pelted stones at the security personnel. Police lobbed 31 rounds of teargas canisters to take the situation under control. A source said that police also fired 15 rounds of bullets into the air. The protesters had staged a demonstration near Panchali of Biratnagar demanding that the government roll back its decision to name Province 1 as Koshi Province. Following the incident, a large number of Nepal Police and Armed Police Force personnel have been deployed in the area. DSP Rajan Kumar Dahal, spokesperson at the District Police Office, Morang, said that the situation is under control. The provincial government on March 1 had named the province as Koshi. Padam Limbu Lajehang was critically injured when police baton-charged the people protesting against the naming of the province. He breathed his last during the course of treatment.  

Loan shark victims, who came to Kathmandu on foot from Bardibas seeking justice, staged a demonstration in Maitighar on Tuesday. When they were stopped at Tangal while heading towards the Prime Minister’s official residence in Baluwatar to stage a demonstration, they returned to Maitighar and staged the protest. During the demonstration, the protesters chanted slogans like formulate a law against loan sharks, release the victims arrested on false charges and provide loans at concessional rates among others. After the loan shark victims started staging the protest, leaders of various political parties reached Maitighar to express solidarity to them. In the meantime, they chanted slogans against Rastriya Prajatantra Party lawmaker Gyanendra Bahadur Karki who had reached Maitighar to express solidarity in their protest. The government on Tuesday morning formed a four-member committee to address the demands of the loan shark victims. Joint Secretary at the Home Ministry Rudra Devi Sharma, Under Secretary at the Home Minister Dil Kumar Tamang, Under Secretary at the Office of Prime Minister and Council of Ministers Umakanta Adhikari and Under Secretary at the Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Junga Bahadur Danga are in the committee.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and CPN (Unified Socialist) Chairman Madhav Kumar Nepal held a meeting Tuesday. During the meeting took place at the official residence of the Prime Minister at Baluwatar, they discussed various issues including cabinet expansion. Significant discussion was held between them on the issue of cabinet expansion, said PM Dahal's Press Expert, Manohari Timilsina. The meeting of the ruling alliance is taking place at 4 pm today. CPN (Unified Socialist) leader Jhalanath Khanal, General Secretary Ghanshyam Bhusal and Deputy General-Secretary Prakash Jwala were present in the meeting.

The Nepal-India Chamber of Commerce & Industry (NICCI) launched a Coffee Table Book “Religious & Spiritual Circuits Nepal & India” by organizing a program in the Capital on Monday. Minister of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Sudan Kiranti, Indian Ambassador to Nepal Naveen Srivastava, Foreign Secretary Bharat Raj Paudyal and NICCI President  Shreejana Rana launched the book. Experts from India and Nepal, who have contributed their research, have also shared their experience and the subject matter incorporated in the book. On the occasion, NICCI President Rana said that Nepal and India share a heritage and relationship that goes back for thousands of years. “This book came about from a wish to share more than the remarkable diversity and beauty of Nepal and India,” she said, adding, “We wanted to showcase our incredible religious sites and further promote bilateral tourism between our two nations," read a statement issued by the NICCI. “There are always challenges in promoting a new destination or theme. But one thing is certain: It is not enough to say “come visit our countries”. We must show “why”. This book does that,” she further said.