The CPN (Maoist) has flayed the arrest of leading civil society activists from their peaceful sit-in programme in front of the Prime Minister’s residence in Baluwatar Monday afternoon.

Issuing a press statement this evening, Maoist spokesperson Krishna Bahadur Mahara said his party was ‘angered’ by the mistreatment and arrest of some 70 civil society leaders, who were carrying out sit-in protest peacefully, demanding immediate promulgation of the interim constitution for timely election to constituent assembly.

“Our party strongly denounces such mistreatment and arrest of senior civil society leaders and demands their immediately release,” the statement said, adding, “The government’s attempt to silence the timely voices of the civil society has not only worried those advocating for democracy, peace and progress but it has also made the anti-constituent assembly elements happy.”

The Maoist party also urged the government to gear up for promulgation of the interim constitution.

Police arrested civil society leaders including Dr Devendra Raj Pandey, Shyam Shrestha, Dr Sundarmani Dixit, Mahesh Maskey and Khagendra Sangraula from outside the PM’s residence at around 11:00 am as soon as they started their sit-in.