In yet another bizarre incident of brutality, security forces opened fire at lawyers in Nepal
By Kiran Chapagain
Though the firing of bullets donated by the US and the Indian governments is a common scene in Nepal, I had not imagined that the trigger-happy police of King Gyanendra, would fire at a peaceful silent rally of lawyers.
But the mad police, who fired at peaceful poem recitation program of poets the other day, did fire at lawyers who were holding a peaceful rally.
When I entered the Nepal Bar Association premises, there were four polive vans. I was thinking that the police would arrest all the lawyers. I had not even imagined that the mad police of Gyanenrda, who prefers to see people being killed in the street to live up his super ego, will fire at lawyers without prior warning.
As around five hundred lawyers came out to the street breaking the chain of the police, the police could not arrest them. The lawyers reached to Babarmahal and sat on the street. Suddenly, a cop fired at the lawyers indiscriminately, injuring four lawyers. Then the police went berserk and rained batons on the head of lawyers. Around half a dozen teargas shells were fired. Senior lawyers, including Krishna Prasad Bhandari and Hahrihar Dahal were fleeing. Police were beating lawyers indiscriminately. A police kicked a woman pedestrian on her chest. The lawyers ran to Kathmandu District Court. The police then hurled stones and tried to break the gate of the Kathmandu District Court.
The blood hungry of police then became aggressive to journalists and human rights activists. “You human rights activists and journalists are all Maoists. Thok (beat),” a policeman yelled. Then a cop rained baton on Bimal Chandra Sharma of Insec. Already the cops had beaten journalists by singling out them.
The policemen kept on abusing human rights defenders and journalists. But our colleagues have succeeded to capture what the criminal police of the king did not the distinguish citizens of Nepal. That would enough evidence when the king will be presented before a criminal court some time in near future.
In yet another instance of state terrorism and crime, the police today beat disabled people who were holding a peaceful rally at Bhrikuti Mandap.
Yesterday there was a protest of staffs of donor agency, UN and INGOs in Nepal. The police also showed its nakedness and arrested the peaceful protesters. Now they are organizing a candle rally in capital later this afternoon.
One can imagine that when the donor community is also in the street, who is not in the street at present against the tyranny of the blood ministers and the palace.
Government employees, employees at the banks, public enterprises, even home ministry employees, doctors, lawyers, nurses, lawyers, journalists, teachers- all under the sky of Nepal, except some army generals and top police officers are in the street for a republic Nepal.
United We Blog 
Comments
57 responses to “Trigger-happy Police Shoot at Lawyers”
tt,
a smart person like you should not be fooled by the King’s speech. He always talks like that and has been doing so ever since he took over. I guess like you, I too hoped that the King would come out with something concrete to end this crisis…but the pattern of his speech is the same as before. I don’t blame the SPA for rejecting it…I reject it too because there is nothing substantive in it. Anyway you know that what he says is always contradicted by what he does…and that is what is happening. My lawyer friend who was arrested yesterday is still under detention. Kanak Mani Dixit and the other intellectuals are still under detention.
I am afraid all us Nepalis are in more bad times.
Kirat,
Some UML cadre have said the King’s speech is more accommodating than the last one. I saw this in nepalnews. I hope the real talk is happening as we speak behind the scenes, I guess that is why Kesar Bahadur Bista’s party issued their statement on reconciliation a few days back.
If nothing is to come about from the past week, then I’m afraid you’re correct.
tt,
If secret talks are going on between the Palace and the parties, who knows there might be some positive outcome. Like my friend Mr. Pundit, I am a pragmatist as well as a democrat. But I doubt this is happening. Every intelligent Nepali knows that the vast majority of Nepalis just want peace, stability and the basic freedom and rights to go about their business-so why all the need for hush hush talks? A figure such as a king should be able to rise above petty politics-this is one seems to love indulging in it. Not a good thing I am afraid!
Kirat,
If talks are to be held, it has to be behind the scenes at first to break the ice. Because if both the King and the parties come out in the open first, the Maoists will do everything to foil the reconciliation process.This is what I feel.
However, whether it is happening or not is the first question.
tt,
I understand-I just don’t think it’s necessary when protests are still going. It’s just my thought anyway.
I am normally an optimist-excessively so-but for some reason I just don’t think the King is ready to make any sacrifices for the benefit of this country.
Hey all favouring KG,
I am fed up reading comments about lawyers, doctors, engineers, journalists and buraucrats being inclined, or even politically coated, to SPA. Could you please suggest me what politics actually means? Is there any special group of people who are asked to do SPA duty?
Of course, all the professionals should engage themselves in their works. But be careful that unlike “bandooke” army and police, their identity lies in ntellectual service delivery, they can think for the nation and have been thinking for a long time. Now is there anything wrong when they are acting for the political change?
We all want to see prosperous nepal where ideally every people can deliberate what is wrong and right, no matter who holds the power KG or SPAM. But tell me how we achieve this when we try to refrain educated professionals from right and wrong.
And like it or not, they are cream personalities of nepal.
No king around in Nepal!
Maybe true, that the majority of illiterate villagers like to have a king, but there is none, the last has been killed a few years ago.
The current military dictator has ordered his troops against the common people. This is a major crime. His son is even worse as he combines similar criminal energy with low intelligence.
And to ‘tt’,’thito’,’sl’ and the others, defending compromise with the institution of monarchy, it is indeed a proof of great courage to go out into the street to express one’s opinion, if police and army have been ordered to shoot on sight.
So my suggestion is, let the two thirds have their kings… in history books and museums!
Ahimsa knows: Kings are history!