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Police and Pro-Democracy Protestors Clash: 1/24/06

As Thousands Demonstrate in Kathmandu

24 January 2006 , Kathmandu , Nepal: A day after the government lifted a ban on demonstrating in the Ring Road prohibitory zone in Kathmandu valley, members of the seven political parties' alliance in Nepal continued massive protests in the New Road area against the royal regime. The Ratna Park area, however, are still considered a prohibited zone for gatherings and demonstrations.

When demonstrators made a peaceful attempt to enter the prohibited zone ( Ratna Park), police charged and physically assaulted many pro-democracy political leaders and activists, and arrested many of them.

Scores of protesters were injured during the clash. Police fired dozens of tear gas shells on the crowd to suppress the demonstration. Protestors were beaten even after police had them in their custody. During the crackdown, journalists were also beaten by police batons. Water canons were used to subdue the protestors, and innocent bystanders were also assaulted by security forces.

Chandra Bishta, a cameraperson for Channel Nepal Television was also seriously injured by police during the violence.

There were no female police personnel deployed to control and arrest female demonstrators. So, male police were arrested all the demonstrators indiscriminately.

Protestors and police clash at  New Road, Kathmandu. The New Road area is still a restricted area, Tuesday, Jan 24 06.

Protesters chanted anti-monarchy slogans and demanded a restored democracy in Nepal.

Students of Amrit Science Collage were included among pro-democracy protestors. Police and students threw stones at one another, resulting in injuries on both sides. Over a dozen tear gas shells were fired inside the college premises to disperse the students, while police entered the campus and charged the students with batons. Many students were badly beaten by security forces- even in the classrooms, corridors, and union offices of the college.

Meanwhile, four detainees at the Kalimati police station are staging an indefinite hunger strike to protest the "illegal detention" of political party leaders and activists. Central members of the Nepal Students' Union, Prabhu Nath, Rama Kanta Shah, Basu Kandel and Hari Singh Thakur, who have been detained at the police station, started the hunger strike this morning.

Names of some arrested at the New Road demonstration:

   1. Ubaraj Gyanwali
   2. Dilli Prasad Sitaula
   3. Ganesh Poshrel
   4. Basu Koirala
   5. Jagadish Bam
   6. Prabin Shrestha
   7. Diwakar Budhathoki
   8. Yam Thapa
   9. Parbati Shaha
  10. Dina Upadhyaya
  11. Prakash Giri
  12. Birendra Saud
  13. Bhakta Kumar Rana
  14. Khiman Singha Rayamajhi
  15. Bishwa Pratap Sharma
  16. Prem Bishtha
  17. Kamala Thapa
  18. Ranjit Karna
  19. Gobinda Puda Saini
  20. Jaga Nath Dhimal
  21. Takendra Limbu
  22. Dipendra Simkhada
  23. Bina Thapa

Names of several injured demonstrators at the New Road

   1. Gopal Subedi
   2. Om Prakash Pangeni
   3. Shyam Raj Khatri
   4. Shyam Rana
   5. Gopal Acharya

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