500 Nepalese cops end revolt after 2-day hostage standoff

About 500 Nepalese riot police who revolted and took their senior officers hostage to protest poor working conditions released their captives and surrendered after a two-day standoff, officials said Monday.

Seven senior police officers were released unharmed just after midnight Sunday, said Narendra Sharma, chief government administrator in the area.

The armed policemen took over a riot police camp Saturday at Nepalgunj, about 310 miles west of Katmandu. They were protesting the alleged ill treatment of lower-ranking officers by their supervisors, low-quality food and other issues.

Hundreds of police surrounded the camp Sunday after the government ordered an immediate end to the standoff, Sharma said.

"The revolting policemen allowed their hostages to leave after midnight, and they are all being held at the police training camp," Sharma said.

There had been reports of shots fired during the standoff, but no one was believed to have been hurt.

Home Secretary Umesh Mainali told The Associated Press that authorities were assessing how to improve the 68,000-member force after two revolts in a month.

In June, disgruntled policemen took 16 officers hostage at the same camp, which is the regional hub for security agencies in western Nepal.

Police official Akhtar Ali Ansari said those involved in the latest action would face a special court.