4-27-05, 9:59 am

From RedNet News

Press Statement

The Communist Party of Nepal (UML) strongly condemns the unprovoked attack and vandalism done by plainclothesmen deputed by the royal government inside the Party Headquarters at Balkhu in Kathmandu on April 25. The following misdeeds of the government security men under disguise have amply unmasked the undemocratic and dictatorial face of the unconstitutional royal government in Nepal.

1. It is deplorable that the state security personnel in plainclothes wearing masks and wielding small arms broke into the Party Headquarters without any warrant immediately after the funeral procession of Sadhana Adhikari, the wife of late leader Man Mohan Adhikari. The CPN (UML) was mourning the death of prominent woman leader Sadhana Adhikari at the Party Headquarters. Her body was kept inside the Party premises for paying homage. Different party leaders and activists from different political parties were present to pay solemn tribute to her. The funeral procession was started at 1.30 PM and mourners joined it. Thus the whole party leaders and activists were mourning the demise of their beloved women leader. On the contrary, the government security personnel attacked the youths and party activists who were present at the Party Headquarters to mourn the death of a woman leader. Thus the state security personnel grossly undermined human rights under the direction of the royal government.

2. A gang of plainclothesmen, 25 in number and some of them were masked and carrying small arms, entered inside the Party Office and indiscriminately attacked various party activists at around 4 PM. Half a dozen of the masked personnel went up to 4 th floor of the Party office chasing party members. Some of them entered in the library room and smashed a door of toilet suspecting one of the wanted members to be inside the toilet. In fact another student leader named Jhapat Rawal was inside the toilet. The student leader was dragged out and brutally beaten. Similarly, another youth leader Narayan Basnet was manhandled inside the Party premises. They kicked the locked doors of the office of the Party General Secretary, Central Auditing Committee and Central Disciplinary Committee and threatened party members with revolvers. Thus the plainclothesmen continued their mischievous hooliganism for about 40 minutes inside the Party. They were apparently looking for some youth leader to arrest them. The plainclothesmen were carrying their surveillance of all mourners and visitors noting down car and motorbike numbers even when the people were paying their homage to late Mrs. Adhikari. Some of the visitors were arrested on the way.

3. The higher authorities of the security, when contacted afterwards pretended their ignorance about the deputation of the plainclothesmen at the Party office. However, some of the concerned government authorities hesitantly confessed that those security personnel were guided by higher 'Security mechanism'.

4. All major political parties have condemned the act of hooliganism of the plainclothesmen. Human rights organizations and civil society organization have also condemned the act as the testimony of autocracy and repression of the royal government.

5. The attack and hooliganism of the government security men in the Party Headquarters has evidently shown that the so-called loyalty of the King toward the multiparty democracy is only a farce. This incident has exposed the King's lip service to the multiparty democracy in his statements delivered both in Indonesia and China recently. Thus the words and deeds of the royal government are entirely contradictory. The Communist Party of Nepal (UML) would like to draw attention of international community and human rights organizations and activists to this reality.

6. The Communist Party of Nepal (UML) firmly believes that undemocratic actions and repressive measures will continue until the restoration of democracy and human rights in the country. Therefore, once again, the CPN (UML) appeals to all democratic political parties of the country to accelerate democratic movement in the country and the Party also calls again to the international community to continue their support and solidarity to the democratic movement of the Nepali people. The democratic political parties together with the democratic Nepali people, will continue their fight for democracy and human rights till the autocracy is defeated in the country.