The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) urged the government to ensure that voters can cast their votes easily in the days ahead. Issuing a press statement, the NHRC said some voters were deprived of their voting rights as they could not walk for five hours to cast their ballots.

The right body, which deployed 27 teams to monitor the first phase of provincial and  parliamentary polls held in 32 districts today, said polling stations were very far in some places and   elderly citizens, persons with disabilities and pregnant women, who could not trek five hours to reach their polling stations,  were deprived of their voting rights.

According to a news published in The Himalayan Times Online, the NHRC said that due to lack of effective dissemination of voter education, voters had not reached the polling centres even by 2:00pm in some places. It urged the government to make adequate arrangements to enable voters to cast their votes easily in the days ahead.

The NHRC said although bombs exploded in some districts, including in Rolpa, Rukum, Bajhang, Bhojpur, Nuwakot and Gorkha, there were no human casualties. The rights body said that explosive materials were found at polling centres in Taplejung, Dhading, Baglung and Darchula.

It said some people were injured when clashes ensued between rival parties in Bajura, Dolakha, Jajarkot, Okhaldhunga and Sindhupalchowk. The NHRC said security personnel fired shots in the air to control the situation in Dolakha, Bajura and Sindhupalchowk.