KATHMANDU: Farmers have looted fertilizers from two trucks en route to Kathmandu in Dharke of Dhading on Saturday.

About 400 to 500 farmers obstructed fertilizer-laden trucks being brought to Kathmandu under the protection of Armed Police Force (APF) on the highway and looted the fertilizers.

The Department of Revenue Investigation (DRI) had taken control of the trucks carrying illegal fertilizers on Friday night in Dhading. APF was escorting the same trucks to Kathmandu on Saturday.

After getting information about the same, farmers of Dhading stopped the trucks and took away the fertilizers on Saturday.

APF personnel also clashed with farmers during the incident.

DRI Spokesperson Diwas Acharya said they had received information that farmers had looted fertilizers from two trucks being brought to Kathmandu under the protection of the Armed Police Force. “We are investigating how fertilizers under APF protection were looted,” he said.

A video on social media showed an armed police officer trying to take control of a sack of fertilizer from a woman farmer by hitting her with the butt of his gun.

Police had reached the spot after farmers had looted most of the fertilizes and took control of whatever quantity was left.

According to DRI Spokesperson Acharya, the trucks were carrying fertilizer by falsely declaring their goods as other goods. “One of the trucks had disclosed that wheat was in the vehicle and the other said it was carrying cement,” he said.

“During screening of the vehicles, it was found that fertilizers were being brought,” he said, adding, “After that, the vehicles were taken under control and kept under APF custody.”