Issuing a press statement on Monday evening, the Tharuhat/Tharuwan Joint Struggle Committee accused the government of using excessive force to suppress the protest. The committee has also urged the government stop mobilization of the Armed Police Force and Nepal Army in the district.Claiming that the government has been plotting to incite violence, the committee has urged the National Human Rights Commission, civil society, State Affairs Committee of parliament and UN agencies to monitor the human rights situation in the district. It has also demanded independent probe into the Kailali incident.
"The Tikapur incident is a black day in the history of the country. We have been staging peaceful protests. But things took an ugly turn after police intervened in the peaceful protests," claimed Dhani Ram Chaudhary, coordinator of the committee.
Meanwhile, Madhesi People's Right Forum-Democratic (MPRF-D) Chairman Bijay Gachchhedar accused the leaders of major political parties of neglecting people's sentiments.
Discussing the incident with members of the struggle committee at a meeting in Singha Durbar, Gachhedar said he had drawn the attention of the top leaders toward the possibility of protest turning violent. "I had urged the top leaders not to be rigid but they didn't heed my advice. Now they should take responsibility for the incident," a participant quoted Gachchhedar as saying at the meeting.
"Police intervened in peaceful protests and opened fire. This should not have happened under any pretext," said Constituent Assembly Member Gopal Dahit.
On the other hand, Nepali Congress leader and former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba urged the protestors to exercise restraint. Issuing a press statement after the incident, Deuba said that violent protest was an act of disturbance of social harmony. He also termed the incident a terrorist act.
Finance Minister Ram Sharan Mahat termed the incident a conspiracy. "Kailali incident smells well planned conspiracy by divisive forces bent on destroying peace and communal harmony," he posted on twitter.
On the other hand, UCPN (Maoist) leader Baburam Bhattarai urged all to acknowledge the gravity of the Tikapur incident. "Let us realize the seriousness of Tikapur incident. Let your conscience take the decision and not under the sway of emotion. For this, political solution should be sought not military of the problem," Bhattarai wrote on Twitter.
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