DANG, Oct 19: Police on Friday filed a case of sedition against 21 Netra Bikram Chand-led Communist Party of Nepal (CPN) leaders and cadres who were arrested on Thursday from the Mungretakhola area of Rajpur Rural Municipality, Dang district. They were arrested while they were gathering near the border with India for a meeting of the outlawed party’s Rapti bureau. Police have filed a case of sedition against them at the Dang District Court, according to Superintendent of Police (SP) Janak Bhattarai, chief of District Police Office, Dang.
Police have arrested a number of CPN leaders and cadres from different parts of the country since banning the activities of CPN in March this year. Those arrested on Thursday are Chandra Bahadur Chand, the elder brother of Netra Bikram Chand, Rapti Bureau in-charge Keshav Bahadur Bantha Magar, Rapti Bureau and justice department committee district coordinator Yamlal Katuwal, district secretary Pradeep Oli, Youth Organization Nepal central member Babin KC, CPN-affiliated Sunil Paudel, area number 4 in-charge and people’s council member Ekraj Chaudhary and area number 1 in-charge Dhan Bahadur Bohara.
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Former Maoist combatant Tilak Pun, district chairman of Dalit Liberation Front Suraj BK, member Hit Prasad Roka, and Rolpa district committee members Posta Man Gharti, Dal Bahadur Khatri, Bal Krishna Sharma, Jit Chhetri, Ramesh Acharya, Bishnu Thapa and Kul Bahadur Oli are also among those arrested.
Police have also seized six pistols, five rifle bullets and explosives, among other things, from those arrested. According to Provincial Police Office, Tulsipur, a total of 192 leaders and cadres of CPN have been arrested from Province 5 so far. Of those, 44 were arrested from Dang alone.
“The Chand-led CPN has been taking advantage of the region’s geography,” said SP Bhattarai. Likewise, a total of 28 cadres have been arrested from Rolpa, 19 from Nawalparasi, and 16 each from Bardiya, Pyuthan and Kapilvastu, according to the Provincial Police Office. Similarly, police have also arrested 11 leaders and cadres of CPN from Banke, 10 from Arghakhanchi, six from Rukum, and five each from Palpa and Gulmi.
