Parties’ demonstration on Saturday: Govt’s ban did not work (nepalnews feature)

January 21, 2006
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Neither was curfew imposed nor was a strike called, but for shopkeepers in New Road, Basantapur and their adjoining area, it was an off-business day.

Policemen arresting a pro-democracy activist at Basantapur in Kathmandu on Saturday, Jan. 21 06. nepalnews.com/rh

Policemen arresting a pro-democracy activist at Basantapur in Kathmandu on Saturday, Jan. 21 06. nepalnews.com/rh
Shopkeepers began to pull their shutters down at about 1 p. m. and by the next half-an-hour, the otherwise busy market was totally deserted. Security forces were kept on alert and standby along New Road and Basantapur area. Smaller groups of people could be seen along by-passes discussing ways to come out in the main streets. In fact, both the opposition activists and security personnel were prepared for a showdown at Basantapur.

The seven party opposition alliance had called for its show of strength on Friday in Kathmandu, which could not be take place due to the imposition of day-long curfew within Ring Road.

The parties then postponed their programme a day later. Some senior political activists started chanting pro-democracy slogans on Saturday, some half an hour earlier than the schedule. However, the big band of police easily snatched them away. The crowds began to enlarge and by 2 p.m. and there were over ten thousand agitators chanting anti-king and pro-democracy slogans in various corners of Basantapur, New Road, Dharmapath, Indra Chowk and Bhotahity.

RNA personnel were cautiously guarding the Hanuman Dhoka Durbar Square area while police seemed in haste and nasty so as to scare the peaceful agitators. The growing crowd became unmanageable for them and police called for reinforcements.

The Police Inspector who was given the charge of controlling agitators in Basantapur area also tried to scare the media personnel and human rights observers. A journalist Diwakar Panta was threatened and beaten by the police while a security personnel was badly injured by agitators.

The teargas made the policemen suffer more than protesting groups. Police constables were hesitating to run to charge the enraged mobs but their team leaders were forcing them to move ahead amid rains of stones. They were more concerned to search for water to wash their eyes rather than to run and get hold of the protestors.

Ghanashyam Poudel, a leader of pro-left Jana Morcha Nepal, emerged out of nowhere and started making fiery speech for about a minute. He was instantly taken to District Police station, Hanuman Dhoka. Leaders like Ram Sharan Mahat, Yubaraj Gyawali, Guru Raj Ghimire, Mahanta Thakur, Shashi Shrestha, among others, were arrested. TU professors and academicians also courted arrests.

The struggle between the agitators and police continued for more than four hours.

The agitators said they would continue their protests until democracy was restored in the country. For the businessmen at New Road, the immediate concern was restoration of peace and some sort of dialogue between the major political forces in the country.