People's Democracy

  CPI(M) Condemns Brutal Attack On CPN(UML) Headquarters

The general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Prakash Karat, issued the following statement on April 26:

THE Communist Party of India (Marxist) strongly condemns the attack on the headquarters of the Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist-Leninist) by police and security personnel in Khatmandu. It is shocking that this attack took place immediately after the funeral of prominent women communist, Sadhana Adhikari, wife of former prime minister, Manmohan Adhikari, whose body had been kept in the premises of the party office for people to pay homage.

The statement of the Communist Party of Nepal (UML) is enclosed which shows the type of police state Nepal has been converted into under King Gyanendra. The UPA government should take note of the ground realities in Nepal before taking any step which will strengthen the authoritarian rule of the King.

STATEMENT ISSUED BY THE CPN(UML)

(April 26, 2005)

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.

•  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 Manmohan Adhikari. The CPN(UML) was mourning the death of prominent women leader Sadhana Adhikari at the Party headquarters. Her body was kept inside the Party premises for paying homage.  Various leaders and activists from different political parties were present to pay solemn tribute to her. The funeral procession was started at 1.30 p m 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 King.

• 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 p m. Half a dozen of the masked personnel went up to 4th floor of the Party office chasing Party members. Some of them entered 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 office. They were apparently looking for some youth leader to arrest.

• 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”.

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

• The attack and hooliganism of the government securitymen 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 organisations and activists to this reality.

• 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 once again calls upon 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. (INN)