They said Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal, who is also the chairman of ruling CPN-UML, is to be blamed for the government´s failure in bringing Parshuram to book even weeks after the attack.[break]
"Khanal is to be blamed because he heads both the government as well as the ruling UML party of which Parshuram is also a cadre," said former Chairman of the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) Bishnu Nishturi at an interaction organized by the FNJ on Sunday.
Nishthuri said the remarks of another senior UML leader KP Sharma Oli in this connection has encouraged criminals. "His statement has further proved Parshuram´s involvement in the attack and has made it clear that he is undoubtedly under the protection of UML leaders," he said.
At a function on Saturday, Oli had in public thanked Mahesh Basnet, chief of the UML´s Youth Association Nepal, for protecting Parshuram.
Meanwhile, human rights activists and lawyers at the function expressed solidarity to the ongoing protests launched by the FNJ against the attack on Dhakal.
Nepal Bar Association President Prem Bahadur Khadka, human right activists Renu Raj Bhandari, Subodh Raj Pyakurel, Charan Prasain, Birendra Thapaliya pledged their support to FNJ´s ongoing protests.
Speakers of the function termed the attack on journalist a move to impose censorship on the media.
They said that the failure of the government and party leadership to detain Parshuram clearly proved that criminal activities are taking place under the guise of political activities. They also suggested to the FNJ not to abort ongoing protests without taking it to a logical conclusion stating that backracking could encourage such attacks in the future.
NSJF expresses solidarity
Meanwhile, Nepal Sports Journalists Forum (NSJF) denounced the government failure in bringing Parshuram to book.
A meeting of NSJF Central Working Committee held on Sunday asked the government to initiate proceedings against Basnet immediately.
NSJF also expressed solidarity to ongoing protest program launched by the FNJ.
FNJ, bloggers discuss freedom of expression
Earlier on Sunday, FNJ held an interaction with bloggers and requested solidarity in the agitation.
"We promote freedom of expression and citizens rights, and we can join hands in at least those issues," Gaunle said during the meeting.
Bloggers, while expressing their support in FNJ agitation, discussed about security of bloggers.
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