Six opposition political parties demonstrated since morning on Wednesday to obstruct the PM’s entry into the district, protesting the government’s hampering investigations into the murder of journalist Dekendra Thapa. [break]
The opposition parties, stating that a PM who is saving and protecting murderers should be prohibited from the district, were hell-bent on preventing his entry to participate in his party’s district-level convention. However, the protesting parties said that they would withdraw their entire program of protests if the PM cancelled his visit to the district.
A situation of confrontation had been brewing after opposition political parties announced a two-day Dailekh shutdown to coincide with the UCPN (Maoist) Dailekh district convention on Tuesday.
The over 6,000 people demonstrating against the government clashed with UCPN (Maoist) cadres participating in their party’s district convention. Following the incident, the first district convention of the UCPN (Maoist) has been disrupted.
According to the agitating parties, the number of those injured is likely to rise.
Krishna Kumar BC, district president of the Nepali Congress, said they had to intensify their protests against PM Bhattarai as he was visiting Dailekh to showcase his strength.
Dailekh district headquarters remained tense with four incidents of clashes in separate places. The opposition parties have informed that at least 52 of their activists were injured in clashes with Maoist cadres.
The first clash erupted when opposition party activists showed black flags and pelted stones at Deputy Prime Minister and UCPN (Maoist) Vice-chairman Narayankaji Shrestha while he was addressing party cadres at the district convention at Kadachaur. The clash lasted 15 minutes.
Police are yet to provide details of the losses incurred in the clashes.
The opposition party activists also clashed with security personnel, at Rampur, Ganeshchowk and near the army barracks. Opposition parties frequently attempted to disrupt the Maoist gathering but were not successful due to police intervention.
Police fired 36 tear gas shells and 10 bullets in the air to disperse the opposition activists. The security situation become further volatile following completion of the Maoist program, as the opposition activists started attacking Maoist cadres wherever they found them. In one clash in the evening, seven Maoist cadres were injured.
The Maoists accused the opposition political parties of involvement in the politics of boycott. Speaking at the convention, PM Bhattarai said that his party would accept the court order in the Dekendra Thapa murder case. He opined that the murder of Maoist cadres during the conflict era should also be investigated.
In the confrontation, opposition political parties also torched the district offices of the UCPN (Maoist) and CPN-Maoist.
Maoists threaten Dailekh journos
UCPN (Maoist) activists threatened a dozen Dailekh-based journalists with a fate similar to that of murdered journalist Dekendra Thapa, if mediapersons continued to protest against their party.
The journalists, who had gone to report the district convention of the UCPN (Maoist) attended by PM Baburam Bhattarai and Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal at Dailekh district headquarters, were threatened by Maoist cadres participating in the event.
The Maoist activists took the district reporters under their control, surrounding them for around half an hour. Police had to intervene to free the journalists from Maoist control.
However, the government news agency RSS and the reporter of ABC TV channel, deemed close to the Maoist party, were provided easy access for reporting the event.
In yet another attack on media in the district, Maoist activists on Wednesday vandalized the office of Dailekh-based local newspaper Hamro Tesro Ankha (Our Third Eye) Daily.
Maoist activists participating in the rally before the start of the district convention, pelted stones at the newspaper office, smashing its windows. Activist of the opposition parties retaliated and stopped the Maoists from trying to set the press on fire.
Six Maoist cadres were injured in the confrontation. Some journalists, including Mountain TV journalist Kamal Sharma, were also injured in the scuffle.
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