Nepali journalist Amar Kshitij Bhandari was manhandled on Tuesday by a group of so-called “disqualified Maoist fighters” allegedly affiliated with the United Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) during a demonstration called by them in Rapti Zone, Mid-West Nepal.

As part of Nepal’s peace process, the Nepalese army has sought to integrate Maoist fighters spread across the country. In this process, some Maoist fighters have been “disqualified” on the basis of their age or alleged lack of qualifications. This meant that their future remains uncertain and has generated protests across the country.

Bhandari, who cooperates with local media outlets, was reportedly beaten in the afternoon of Oct. 2, while driving his motorcycle from his home into town. According to media reports, Bhandari said that one of the attackers, Chitra Bahadur KC, threw him to the floor and started beating him. The journalist sustained injuries in the left leg, and the rear and front of the motorcycle was damaged in the incident.

The IPI Nepal National Committee condemned the attack and urged the concerned group to compensate the injured journalist.

The General Secretary of IPI Nepal National Committee, Taranath Dahal, dubbed the attack barbaric and inhumane. “The attack is an apparent breach of constitutional provisions related to the free flow of information,” Dahal said, adding that the government should hold the perpetrator to account.

About 32,000 individuals had initially registered as former People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in the camps in early 2007. However, the United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) had verified only 19,602 of those as combatants and disqualified over 4,000 persons for being under-age or joining the Maoist Army after the ceasefire began. Disqualified fighters were discharged from the cantonments in early 2010.

Over six years after the formal end of the civil war, the government is in the process of concluding the process of integration of some 1,450 former Maoist fighters into the Nepal Army (NA). However, as the integration process has taken its pace, the disgruntled fighters have started putting forward their demands and organizing demonstrations to generate pressure on the government to fulfill their demands, including ensuring them equal opportunities.