The police have arrested nine people for raising a black flag to the Chairperson of CPN (UML) and former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. The protestors showed the flag at Ilam Chwok market, while Oli was on his way to his party’s district convention representative council meeting on April 27, 2023.
The District Police Office said the individuals were arrested from the market after a clash broke out between the youth union workers and individuals displaying black flags.
The arrested individuals are Arpan Rai, Ram Lingden, Vikram Fack, Sapna Rai, Vikram Rai of Rong Rural Municipality, Dharma Limbu of Deumai Municipality, Kumar Fatr, Mahesh Frack, Ganesh Limbu of Falgunand Rural Municipality of Panchthar district.
Demonstrators protested against the newly ordained name ‘Koshi’ of the former ‘Province 1’. The flag was displayed in the presence of Subash Chandra Nembang, a member of the House of Representatives of Ilam Constituency No. 2, along with Oli.
Pro-ethnic identity organizations have been protesting continuously demanding the change of the name of the province. Protesters chanted slogans like ‘Abolish Koshi Pradesh’ and displayed black flags.
In the demonstration program, the Chairperson of the Federal Democratic National Forum and Federal Limbuwan National Forum, Kumar Lingden said that the name of Koshi province should be changed and revised.
The protestors destroyed a board displaying the name of the province in the District Sports Development Committee.
