Formation of inquiry committee to probe into alleged police repression

KATHMANDU, April 19: Shanti Batika is located right next to Ranipokhari across the famous Ratnapark of Kathmandu. The Shanti Batika was established in the memory of Ganesh Man Singh, one of the leaders of the movement for political change, the martyrs, the injured and one of the leaders of the political change of 2046 BS. That peaceful place suddenly became turbulent on Monday. The peace there was disturbed. There was a clash between police and the loan shark victims with charging batons and stone pelting. The police sprayed water cannons.

For almost a month, usury victims from different districts of the country have been living in Shanti Batika. The first group of loan shark victims who came to Kathmandu on March 27 on foot from Bardibas in Mahottari stayed in Shanti Batika. The group came back with a five-point agreement with the government. After that, the loan shark victims who came from different districts have been living in Shanti Batika since April 3. This second group of loan shark victims who came to Kathmandu is putting pressure on the government to meet their demands.

During the protest on Monday, they were planning to surround Singha Durbar after a march past and go for voluntary surrender. Spokesperson of Kisan-Mazdur Sangharsh Samiti, Nirga Naveen said that police Chief Kopila Chudal of Metropolitan Police Circle, Durbarmarg also knew about this.

"Their plan was to go to the restricted area in front of Singha Durbar via Ratnapark, Jamal, Durbarmarg, Hattisar, Putlisadak, Padmodaya Mode, Bhrikutimandap, Bhadrakali and submit ourselves for surrender voluntarily," Chudal said. According to the spokesperson Naveen, the time was fixed at 1 o'clock. "By 12 o'clock, we had already prepared for the march, we had already lined up," he said, "Suddenly the police said that we cannot go out." The gate was closed. We all got angry, climbed over the gate and started going out, when suddenly the police started charging us with batons. The police entered the peace hall and charged batons, sprayed water cannons and fired tear gas canisters. He claimed that the police fired 6 rounds of tear gas canisters.

Spokesperson Naveen says that the police  oppressed them in an inhumane manner. "The police also hit women with sticks," he said, "43 of our friends are in the trauma center." More than 260 people were hit with sticks. The usury victims allege that instead of meeting their demands and providing relief to them, the government is planning to suppress and drive them away.

Spokesman Naveen claims that the police hauled some 400 loan shark victims who had come to protest in Kathmandu into vehicles and dropped them in Thankot.

He said, "All the shelters that were built were destroyed. Four cooking gas cylinders were looted. 20 sacks of rice, vegetables, and clothes were scattered. All this was done to drive us away.'' He said, looking at the oppression of the police, the government does not want to work in favor of the loan shark victims. The police have claimed that they had to use force to stop the march and encirclement of Singha Durbar as there was a threat to public peace and security from the protestors. “Their plan on Monday was violent in nature,” Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Dan Bahadur Karki, head of District Police Office, Kathmandu, said. He added, "The police have fulfilled their responsibilities and duties according to the prevailing laws." Asserting that the police behaved tolerantly during the protests of the loan shark victims for a month, he said that the situation became tense when they tried to control the situation and maintain public peace on Monday. SSP Karki said that 11 people were injured in the incident.

All-round criticism

The mistreatment of the loan shark victims by the police on Monday in Shanti Batika is being widely criticized. Brihat Nagarik Andolan (Great People’s Movement) against the suppression of the usury victims is going to hold a 'human rights march' on Wednesday. Brihat Nagarik Andolan has announced that it will march from Shanti Batika to Federal Parliament at 3 pm.

"The police did not allow the loan shark victim to come out of Shanti Batika and locked them inside and fired tear gas and water cannons. They even beat up the women who were going to leave the Shanti Batika for a peaceful protest, and they also did the inhumane act of hitting the farmers-laborers on the head and hitting them with sticks," the statement issued by Brihat Nagarik Andolan reads.

This issue has also entered the House of Representatives meeting. In Tuesday's meeting of the House of Representatives, Nepal Workers Peasants Party MP Prem Suwal demanded that the Home Minister should immediately inform parliament about the repression by the police on loan shark victims. He demanded that Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Home Minister Narayankaji Shrestha come to Parliament and give an answer.

In the House of Representatives meeting, Rajendra Lingden, chairperson of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party, urged the government to address the demands of the loan shark victims. He condemned the suppression of the victims by the police in Shanti Batika and warned that the RPP would launch a street struggle if their demands were not met.

Formation of inquiry committee

Home Minister Narayankaji Shrestha has said that a committee has been formed to investigate the incident that happened at Shanti Batika on Monday. In a press conference held at the Ministry on Tuesday, he said that an inquiry committee has been formed under the coordination of the Assistant Chief District Officer of the District Administration Office, Kathmandu. "The Ministry of Home Affairs has formed an investigation committee under the coordination of the Assistant Chief District Officer of Kathmandu regarding the use of force by police on the loan shark victim on Monday," he said. "The committee will investigate the truth of the incident."

Home Minister Shrestha also said that the government has taken some initiatives to solve the problems of usury victims. A commission has been formed to solve the problems of the victims. Now the commission will take the complaint and proceed with the investigation process," he said. "In each district, a mechanism is going to be formed under the leadership of the chief district officer, including the chief of police, district government attorney, Department of Land Management and Archive, survey office, banks and representatives of loan shark victims." He said that he is confident that the mechanism would give justice to the victims. The representatives of loan shark victims, who came to the capital to protest last time, held talks with the government six times but could not reach an agreement.

 
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