“On Sunday, the government exercised maximum restraint as the Maoists said the strike would be peaceful, but it turned out to be violent,” Deputy Prime Minister Bijaya Kumar Gachhchadar said after a security evaluation meeting on Monday. “But now onwards, the government will adopt tough measures against the law breakers.”
Security sources said police personnel are authorized to open fire in self-defense if the protestors begin physically assaulting them.
Police did not open fire on the first day of the three-day general strike called by the Maoists on Sunday even after a DSP was left critically injured at New Baneshwar as there was no order to open fire.
A meeting of cabinet ministers at Home Ministry on Sunday evening had given permission to security personnel to open fire in self-defense. The cabinet ministers available inside Singha Durbar met again at National Investigation Department on Monday afternoon to assess overall security situation in the country due to the Maoist protests.
Talking to mediapersons after the meeting, Gachchhadar said even the international community and rights groups have said the Maoist strike was violent.
Among other things, the informal meeting gave responsibility to Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal to hold dialogue with the Maoist leadership for ending the protest.
However, the government made it clear that it would not sit for conditional dialogue with the Maoists. “There are processes in the legislature-parliament if they [Maoist] want the government to step down,” said Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation Sharat Singh Bhandari.
"But the government is ready to sit for dialogue with the Maoists to discuss all issues."
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