The decision came after the body of ethnic Tharus gathered 500 activists in combat dresses on Sunday during its two-day ‘Tharu military convention’. The Council collected the youths from 22 districts for the convention.
Chief District Officer Rishiram Dhakal said that the DAO decided to ban the activities as the Council broke the laws by gathering youths in combat dress. [break]
Immediately after the conclusion of the convention, the Council was scheduled to hold a press conference which the administration disallowed by deploying police personnel and not letting journalists into the venue.
Police cordoned off the Bal Janata Higher Secondary School at Deukhuri. Police also searched the bodies of the locals and quentioned them.
Citing orders from higher-ups, police also threatened to take action journalists if they covered Tharuhat activities.
However, CDO Dhakal said that the administration only requested the journalists not to air news that encourage ‘undesirable activities’.
On Sunday, Dhakal had issued a press statement requesting journalists not to cover the Tharuhat event.
Dhakal said that the DAO banned such activities under the recently implemented special security plan.
The vice president of the Council Yogendra Chaudhary termed the government move as ‘autocratic behavior’.
The military convention has declared the region from Dang district to the western border as ‘Tharuhat base area’ and stated that the Council would implement its own rules and regulations and distribute citizenships in the area.
Administration stated that it would not allow such activities. Police also torn the flags of the Council placed at various places at Deukhuri.
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