Police Uses Force in the Protests of Civil Society and Human Rights Defenders

  January 25, 2021 By: INSEC

Police have intervened and used force in the rally of civil society against the dissolution of the House of Representatives in the Baluwatar area on January 25, 2021. Police also used water cannons and charged baton on demonstrators gathered in Baluwatar.

Journalist and writer Narayan Wagle, who was involved in the protest, said that the move by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to dissolve the House of Representatives was unconstitutional.

According to Narayan Wagle, former commissioner of the National Human Rights Commission Mohana Ansari, Arundev Joshi, Nirgha Navin, Sangharsh Dahal, Swarnim Dinesh and other human rights defenders were injured after police used force.

Among the injured, Nirgha was taken to Tribhuwan University Teaching Hospital, Maharajgunj and Sangharsh and Swarnim were taken to Model Hospital for treatment.

Police had intervened while the civic leaders were marching from Kamalpokhari to Hattisar, Nagpokhari, Naxal and from Bhatbhateni to Baluwatar.

They have accused the police of turning the peaceful citizen’s protest into violence by using force on unarmed, civil demonstrators and has tried to regress their rights.

Police arrested 26 civil society leaders, including Krishna Pahadi, Founder President of Human Rights and Peace Society, Uttam Pudasaini, Chairperson, Member Krishna Kandel, Secretary Bal Bahadur Gaha Magar, Treasurer Ram Krishna Baral, Central Member Namrata Kharel,  Lalitpur Branch Chairperson Chandramani Banjara, Kathmandu Branch Chairperson, Jagannath Pudasaini, human rights activist Ram Chandra Khatiwada, Suraj Bohra, Ishwar Pudasaini, Ramesh Baral, Purushottam Ghimire, Uma Gautam, Maya Bhattarai, Laxmi Rana, Sanu Lama, RS Mahato, Dikambar Rana, Bhagwan Pudasaini, Kiran Dhakal, Rose Bista, Kingkong Rai, Sanjog Rai, Mohini Prasad Acharya.

They were kept at Nepal Police and then released after four hours.

The Human Rights and Peace Society, which has been protesting against Prime Minister KP Oli’s move of dissolving the House of Representatives. In a press statement released by the Society, it is mentioned that the government was trying to influence the court and legal procedures, abuse state mechanism, and the prime minister and ministers made abhorrent statements.


Bimala Paudel