A meeting of eight political parties, Tuesday, condemned Monday’s police intervention at the headquarters of the major opposition party CPN-UML.

The parties- Nepali Congress, Nepali Congress-Democratic, CPN-UML, CPN-ML, RPP, Nepal Sadvawana Party (Anandadevi), Peoples’ Front Nepal and Rashtriya Janashakti Party- issuing a joint statement condemned the intervention as “a naked attack against multiparty democracy and rule of law.”

Police personnel Monday raided the UML’s central office where the last tributes to Sadhana Adhikari, wife of late prime minister Manmohan Adhikari, were being paid.

Warning the government to respect the political parties, the UML statement issued Tuesday by acting general secretary Jhalanath Khanal said the deeds of the security personnel in the party office yesterday was simply ‘anti-democratic and inhumane’. “I condemn the incident and demand stern action against those involved in it,” he said.

Police took into custody president of the NSU Keshav Singh, while he was returning home after paying tribute to Sadhana Adhikari at the party office in Balkhu. Over 20 policemen entered the party premises looking for two UML aligned student leaders, Yogesh Bhattarai and Khim Lal Bhattarai, UML said.

Early today, police took into custody an influential student leader and former general secretary of the Nepal Students Union (NSU), Gagan Thapa, along with Sandesh Adhikari and Subodh Acharya. NSU is the student wing of another major opposition party, the Nepali Congress. nepalnews.com pd Apr 26 05