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300 Arrested: 1/21/06

"... and Scores Injured in Clashes Between Demonstrators and Police in Kathmandu"
By the Collective Campaign for Peace

21 January 2006, Kathmandu, Nepal: The Alliance of Seven Political Parties in Nepal continued protests in Basantapur and the New Road area in Kathmandu on Saturday, in defiance of the government’s restriction on political activities inside the Ring Road.

Because Friday's protest program was halted by the government-imposed curfew that came in effect on Tuesday, January 17, the Alliance organized huge protest rallies in Kathmandu on Saturday. The police intervened in a mass meeting at Basantapur this afternoon as thousands converged at the venue.

Dozens of demonstrators were injured along with policemen in a clash that took place after the police disrupted the gathering. Dozens of leaders and activists were arrested during the demonstration.

Thousands of demonstrators participated in the student-led protest around Kathmandu, defying the prohibitory orders issued by the government in the capital. Police charged the demonstrators with batons and fired shells of tear gas to disperse the crowd in New Road and Basantapur.

Security was tightened in the Basantapur area. An armed police force and the Royal Nepalese Army were deployed to control the large, gathering crowd of demonstrators.

Meanwhile, COCAP Human Rights Observer, Bijay Kumar Son was assaulted by police officers while he was trying to protect a passerby being beaten by police. Likewise, HR Observer Bimal Raj Giri from INSEC and Sabin Nepal from Human Rights- Alliance were also beaten by police with batons. Journalists who were collecting information were also injured by security personnel.

As a consequence, Human Rights Observers and journalists protested against police abuse. Later, the police made a public apology to the treatment of protestors.

Pro-democracy protests and sloganeering against the monarchy continued in the Kathmandu city center despite police repression. The 'Democratic Creators' (Loktantrik Shrastha) organized a program at Baneshwor at noon to strengthen political party movements against the regime’s municipal election.

The poets from 'Democratic Creators' were also arrested, as they started to recite the poems.

Below is a list of those arrested on January 21, 2006:

'Democratic Creators’ arrested:

1. Aanand Dev Bhatta
2. Hari Govind Lueital.
3. Ukta Shrestha
4. Rudhra Kheral
5. Dr. Jagdish Chandra Bhandari
6. Vaskar Gautam
7. Bimal Aryal
8. Anubhav Ajit.
9. Nanda Krishna Joshi
10. Arjun Parajuli
11. Ramesh Bhatari
12. Bijaya Siwakoti
13. Binu Chapagai

Arrested demonstrators:

1. Madhukar Khanal
2. Ram Hari Lamshal
3. Satyadavi Yadhav
4. Jagdishwor
5. Nara Shima
6. Ashok tamang
7. Ganga Pandya
8. Suman Neupane
9. Guru Ghimere
10. Bijul Bishwakarma
11. Arjun Josi
12. Suparva Ghimere
13. Lok Bahadur Khatri
14. Rubin Gandarva
15. Meghraj Khanal
16. Keshab Budathoki
17. Ganesh shai
18. Laxman Khadka
19. Depak Pathak
20. Kamala Pangani
21. Khaji Kumar
22. Rabindra Adhikari
23. Aman Shrestha
24. Gopal Thapa
25. Nadan Kumar Sharma
26. Shanti Bishwakarma
27. Sova Saha
28. Ratna Gurung
29. Nabin, Akhil
30. Raman Shrestha
31. Raju Upreti
32. Hira Nanda
Devkota 33. Sunita Rokka
34. Prem Kandel
35. Chhaya devi
Parajuli 36. Rudhra Bahadur pandey
37. Nabin parkash Jung
38. Ganesh man gurung
39. Ramsharan Mahat
40. Ubaraj Gyawali
41. Khemraj Bhatari
42. Modnath prashit
43. Sova Sapkota
44. Govinda bhandari
45. Jagdish Sharma
46. Ram Hari Lamshal
47. Janardan khanal
48. Ganga Pandya
49. Narayan Khanal
50. Gahanashyam Sharma
51. Mahendra Khanal
52. Sahsi Shrestha
53. Sukraraj Sharma
54. Pravu Nrayan Chaudhari
55. Madhev Adhikari
56. Nagendra Rai
57. Satya Man Parajuli
58. BImal Chandra Giri
59. Mahanta Thakur
60. Mahesh Acharya
61. Manju Khad
62. Ambika Neupane
63. Shanta Sharma
64. Dhana Khatiwada
65. Sarswati Tiwari
66. Satya raj Parajuli
67. Damoder Parshad Dawadi
68. Narayan Khanal
69. Akhala Hushen
70. Madhab Baskota
71. Ashok
72. Hari lamechhane
73. Jhalak Bastola
74. Ram Kumar Thapa
75. Devi Singh
76. Jhalak Bahadur Karki
77. Gobinda Basnet
78. Vikram Malla
79. Prabin Shrestha
80. Anil Bashyal
81. Deepesh Dash Shrestha

On behalf of COCAP Human Rights Monitoring Team.

____________
Bijay Guindel
(Program Manager)
Collective Campaign for Peace
(COCAP)
Po. Box : 15142 KPC 1010
Anamnagar - 32,
Kathmandu , Nepal.
Phone : 977-1- 4265143/ 4260498
Fax : 977-1- 4260498
E-mail : info@cocap.org.np
: bijay@cocap.org.np
Website : www.cocap.org.np