A person attempted to physically attack Nepal’s
former Prime Minister and Opposition CPN-UML Chair KP Sharma Oli during a
popularity campaign in the Dhankuta district of eastern Nepal.
The assaulter, identified as Mahesh Rai
by the local police, tried to slap Oli while he was being greeted and offered
flowers during the Mid-hill East-West campaign of the Opposition UML.
“Upon examination, we have found that he
was intoxicated at the time of the incident. There is no political motive
behind the attempted assault. We have detained him,” Koshi State Police Chief
DIG Rajeshnath Bastola confirmed to ANI over a phone call.
A viral video of the incident
circulating on social media, and verified by the police, shows the attacker,
Rai, being prevented by the security escorts of the former Nepal PM and dragged
back by a crowd of supporters.
Rai is seen standing alongside others,
who were offering flowers and garlands to the chief of the Opposition party.
Former PM Oli arrived in Dhankuta on
Thursday as part of the UML’s campaign, which centered on the Mid-Hill Highway.
ANI
