KATHMANDU, JUL 22 - Public opinion collection on the constitution draft was affected in some Tarai districts due to protests by some Madhes-based parties on the second day on Tuesday. The Madhesi Morcha enforced a banda in the plains, protesting “police excesses” on Monday.
The campaign was obstructed in Dhanusha, Siraha, Sarlahi and Kapilvastu districts while violent clashes were reported in some other districts. About 60 people, including security personnel, were injured in the clashes in Dhanusha, Bara and Rupandehi.
People had difficulty reaching the venue for registering their views as transportation was disrupted due to the shutdown. Fifteen people were injured as banda enforcers clashed with police at several places in Janakpur. Police lobbed tear gas canisters and resorted to baton charge to disperse protesters.
In Bara, about 10 people, including security personnel, were hurt as the cadres of Madhes-based parties defied security restrictions. Clashes erupted as the demonstrators attempted to enter the interaction centre at Chhatapipara.
Rupandehi saw sporadic clashes in Constituencies 1 and 5 as the protesting regional parties disrupted the campaign. Police said the protesters had hurled stones at the venue. Some three dozen people were injured.
In Dhanusha, feedback collection on the constitution draft was disrupted in all the constituencies. According to lawmaker Ramkrishna Yadav, the CA members and political leaders asked Chief District Officer Kali Prasad Parajuli to postpone the programme in the district. Saroj Mishra, chairman of the Madhes Rights Struggle Committee, said more than 90 people were injured in police action in Janakpur. In Sarlahi, the public consultation was obstructed in Constituencies 4, 5 and 6. Due to obstructions in Malangawa, even lawmakers were barred from reaching programme venues. NC lawmaker Amaresh Kumar Singh also boycotted the interaction.
CDO Meghnath Kafle said the events were not held in three constituencies. The NC and CPN-UML leaders and activists submitted their written suggestions to lawmakers at the District Administration Office in the evening as they could not reach the centres.
In Sunsari, clashes were reported in Itahari and Laukahi. Some protesters were injured as the police used force to bar them from the venues.
The programme continued despite the protests.
Activists of Madhes-centric parties took to the streets since early morning to protest the process. Life was hit as transportation was obstructed along the East-West Highway while marketplaces remained closed in Rajbiraj, Bagdaha, Kanchanpur, Hanumannagar and Rupani, among other places in Saptari.
In Mahottari, hundreds of passengers were stranded due to the transport disruption.
The transport shutdown affected public life in Parsa. Marketplaces were shut in Birgunj as the demonstrators burnt tyres in major thoroughfares. The protesters burnt the copies of some national dailies including Kantipur at Ghantaghar Chowk over the way they covered Monday’s events.
(With inputs from our district correspondents)
Show restraint, NHRC tells govt
KATHMANDU: The National Human Rights Commission has urged the government to show restraint against protesters and to create an environment for the people to present their opinion on the constitution draft.
Following a spate of clashes between the public and police in several districts during the public consultation process, the national rights watchdog has concluded that excessive use of force violated people’s right to register their views on the new constitution. The commission has drawn the attention of authorities to respect people’s freedom of expression. “The government and security agencies should have observed restraint,” the NHRC stated, adding that the use of force to quell demonstrations had flared up tension.
Protesters in Dhanusha, Parsa, Rautahat, Siraha, Saptari, Taplejung, Kathmandu , Nuwakot, Makwanpur and Bhaktapur had clashed with police, in which scores of people were injured. The commission has urged the government to treat the injured and book the culprits.
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