December 04, 2005

KATHMANDU: Police denied food and water to about 20 people, including five students, arrested Friday afternoon on charges pelting stones on the security convoy on the way to the airport to welcome Their Majesties the King and Queen.

Police arrested the people after the royalists and cadres of CPN-UML clashed at Minbhawan area following the mass meeting of the UML. Those arrested include five students of VS Niketan School along with commuters.

The arrested students were located by their parents Saturday afternoon after visiting several police stations.

There are 13 persons including a 12-year old boy being kept in a dark room at Tinkune police post without food and water. Others in detention include Raj Kumar Bhandari (Ramechhap), Rabindra Karki (Bhaktapur), Suman Bhetwal (Dallu), Surya Prakash Bhatta (Buddhanagar) and Rajendra Kafle (Gothatar), the Kantipur daily reports.

Also in detention are Yuba Raj Rai (Minbhawan), Padam Bahadur Magar (Minbhawan), Raj Kumar Shrestha (Dhading), Binay Aryal (Shankhamool), Shankar Thing (Minbhawan), Ram Hari Neupane (Nuwakot) and Bidir Karki (Tehrathum). Most of them are college students.

Those five students of grade nine and ten of VS Niketan School were arrested from the street near the school. The students are supposed to sit for school exams from Sunday.

Navaraj Parajuli, a former people’s representative from Koteshwor, alleged that a police official lied to him saying all the detainees were given food, but an assistant sub-inspector said they were given nothing.

The detainees also complained that police beat them up and forced them to admit pelting stones at the VVIP vehicles after a CPN-UML rally dispersed Friday afternoon.

The paper quoted Deputy Superintendent of Police Ganesh KC as saying that the police are probing into their involvement in stoning the motorcade and said those found innocent will be released on Sunday.

The cavalcade of Crown Prince Paras and other security chiefs passed through the area at the same time when the angry demonstrators were pelting stones at each other.