Standstill in Rupendehi, other details

April 11, 2003
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Students protesting Tuesday’s death of a student in police firing Tuesday brought life to a halt in Rupendehi district 250 kms southwest of the capital Friday, telephone reports from district headquarters Butwal said.

Eight student groups, with the support of political parties, are spearheading the protests against the government of Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand originally pressing a demand to lower POL prices hiked following the U.S.-led war in Iraq.

The market in Butwal, where the firing incident occurred, remained closed for the third consecutive day Friday, residents reported. The protesting students have called for a nation-wide blackout Friday night, closure of all petrol pumps Saturday and culminating Sunday in a condolence meeting for Devi Ram Paudel, a communist leader killed in the police firing.

An administrative commission investigating the firing is scheduled to submit its findings to the government later Friday; the government has ordered another judicial probe into the incident.

Students Thursday said the findings of the government-appointed teams will not be acceptable and instead demanded the formation of an all party team to probe the firing. Students have also called for a strike Tuesday in Chitwan district as well.

Meanwhile, demonstrators Thursday attacked the home of Assistant Minister for Local Development Dr. Ashrafi Shah in Janakpur. They also vandalized government offices, a bank and over a dozen vehicles, while also setting fire to the police posts in Bhanu Chowk, reports from the town said.

Students halted the traffic for three hours in Chitwan and vandalized two government vehicles. Two students and a driver were injured when the students set ablaze a vehicle, reports from Chitwan said.

A meeting of the student leaders held at the NSU office has demanded that the government provide treatment free of cost to the students who were injured during clashes with the police during Wednesday’s protests.

Meanwhile, the All Nepal National Student’s Union (Revolutionary) proposed that the elections of the Nepal Student Union (NSU) scheduled for April 23 be postponed and the protests be continued accordingly. But the seven other student unions disagreed to the proposal.

Beleaguered Premier Chand is facing a second front with the student protests; opposition parties are preparing nation-wide protests against his six-month old government in an effort to topple his government which they call unconstitutional.

Students Friday morning obstructed traffic by burning tyres at Naya Baneshwor in the capital, eyewitnesses said.
Meanwhile, a student group loyal to the rebel Nepal Sadbavana Party also joined seven other groups to join the anti-government protests against the hike of prices of POL products. nepalnews.com br/am April 11