Govt clips Jha's state privileges

KATHMANDU, Sept 4: The government has stripped the state privileges of Parmananda Jha, who refused to take the oath of office in Nepali as vice president after his first oath-taking in Hindi was nullified by the Supreme Court in July. [break]

On Friday, the government withdrew the army personnel deputized for his security and removed the national flag hoisted at his private-turned-official residence at Gaurighat, Kathmandu.

Earlier, the government excluded him from participation in the Indra Jatra festivities on Thursday. The moves come a couple of days after Jha failed to meet the Supreme Court´s seven-day ultimatum to take a fresh oath in Nepali.

A 21-man team from the Armed Police Force (APF) led by an inspector has now been deployed to guard Jha´s house in view of possible security threats to him. This is just an informal security arrangement. He will no longer have a bodyguard nor will he be escorted by security personnel.

Earlier, 75 army personnel led by a lieutenant-colonel and other security personnel from the Nepal Police, the APF and the National Intelligence Department provided security to Jha as vice president.

The national flag hoisted at Jha´s residence was removed in the presence of a Home Ministry representative at about 6 p.m. The flag-hoisting in the morning and its removal in the evening are regular ritual at the residence of very very important persons (VVIPs) like the vice president. The ritual is performed by army personnel.

Officials at the Home Ministry say that the government will arrange some other ´necessary´ security detail than the APF team as Jha is considered to have been facing a special level of threat. "Cops and plain-clothes personnel will be deployed in the area for surveillance," an official said.

Meanwhile, army officers of the team removed from Jha´s residence said they are waiting for word from headquarters about where they are to be stationed now. "We may be deputized at the secretariat or elsewhere, I do not know," one officer said on condition of anonymity.

Jha was at his residence when the army personnel, including his bodyguard, were withdrawn. The locals, who were shocked by a recent bombing indicent near Jha´s residence by an underground armed group, thronged to observe the three-hour-long process of removing the security rearrangements and flag.

The government withdrew the state privileges from Jha amidst controversy over his current status. Some say that Jha now reverts to being vice president-elect while others say that the position has become vacant after Jha refused to abide by a Supreme Court order to take another oath by last Sunday.