Updated…..

Students of the Amrit Science College (ASCOL) protesting against the transfer of Inspector Aabhusan Timilsina on Thursday. Timilsina faces action from Valley Police Office for handcuffing a top royalist Bharat K. Singh along with his two sons at Lainchour on Tuesday night. According to a police source, Timalsina was being made a “scapegoat” under direct pressure from the royal palace.
Photo: Narendra Shrestha via Ekantipur

The enraged locals also torched their Toyota Corolla car, registration number Ba 1 Cha 6689.

Eyewitnesses said a scuffle between the Singh brothers and locals ensued after the car hit a motorcycle parked in front of Malla Hotel. As the Singh brothers began scolding and beating up the motorcycle owner, Angdawa Sherpa, over 3,000 people gathered at the site.

The situation turned worse after dozens of students from Amrit Science Campus hostel joined the locals at the site. Eyewitnesses said the students turned violent soon after they learnt that Bharat Keshar, a close aide to the king, had beaten a youth. The agitated locals beat up the Singh brothers, leaving them seriously injured.

Following the incident, Bharat Keshar and his sons had rushed inside Malla Hotel for safety. The mob pelted stones at the hotel and burnt down Singh’s car left near the hotel gate.

Police patrols that reached the site handcuffed Singh and his sons and took them outside the hotel premises. The mob pelted stones at Bharat Keshar while he was being taken outside the hotel. He was seriously injured in the incident. The locals beat up the trio even after they were put in a police van.

Police said Bharat Keshar was taken to the Army Hospital, Chhauni while his sons were placed in custody at Kathmandu District Police Office (KDPO), Hanumandhoka.

Now Bharat Keshar Singh including other royalists must have realized the power of people. With their heydays gone, they have to surrender to the civilians, otherwise they know what to expect from the people!

The police inspector, who handcuffed Singh yesterday, has been transferred from the Area Police Office, Durbarmarg to District Police Office, Hanumandhoka.

Followup news   (english) (nepali)

Angadawa receives death threat from Bharat Keshar Singh’s men

Bharat Keshar Singh is being taken towards the hospital after being beaten by locals and students at Lainchore, Kathmandu.
KANTIPUR PHOTO: NARENDRA SHRESTHA

Ajaya and Ananta, sons of Bharat Keshar Singh, are being beaten by angry students and locals at Lainchore, Kathmandu on Tuesday night.
KANTIPUR PHOTO: NARENDRA SHRESTHA

A private car belonging Bharat Keshar Singh is set ablaze by locals and students at Lainchour in Kathmandu on Tuesday.
PHOTO: NARENDRA SHRESTHA

It has been found that the royal government distributed money to journalists and media organizations to get them write in its favor. Ministry of Information and Communications distributed the money to 99 journalists and media organizations were distributed government fund in the name of getting “dissemination of peace-related information” from their respective media.

The names of the journalists/media organizations who received money from the royal government are:  

Read the rest of this entry »

The government, immediately after its expansion to 18-member Cabinet, was rocked after Chitra Lekha Yadav, newly appointed as Minister for Water Resources, declined the ministry.

Yadav’s refusal has been a fresh subject of discussion in the Nepali political arena. Is it a sacrifice or a cunning way of exposing herself after being bypassed for the Speaker’s job by the seven-party alliance last month? Soon after her name was announced from state-owned Radio Nepal at 3 p.m. Monday afternoon, she organized a brief press conference at her office at House of Representatives and said that she wouldn’t accept the post of the minister in the present Cabinet as the seven-party alliance didn’t trust her to assume the responsibilities of the Speaker of the House. Read the rest of this entry »

Nepal marked Friday as Commission Day, as four separate commissions were formed only today.

FIRST—the government, in order to carryout investigation into the atrocities of the royal government during its crackdown on peaceful pro-democracy demonstrations. The five-member judicial commission to investigate and take action against those involved in suppressing the people’s mass movement is headed by former justice Krishna Jung Raimajhi. The government has given it an authority to carryout investigation and take necessary action. At least 18 people were killed and more than 7,000 injured during the 19-day pro-democracy movement across the nation. Unlike the earlier Mallik Commission formed after popular 1990 movement, this Commission is believed to function well. Read the rest of this entry »

Paras does it again. According to media reports, Paras Shah, son of Nepal’s beleagured King Gyanendra, hit a passanger bus near Chabahil at around 6 PM on Saturday.  The bus was transporting a wedding party and Paras was on his way back to his palace after golfing at Gokarn.  His Royal Lowness is notorious for reckless driving and driving under the influence of alcohol, but goes scot free by virtue of his birth into a royal household that happens to be above the law.

No one was injured in the incident, but the bus along with 60 or so passangers was held at the Gausala Police Post for 45 minutes on the orders of the military police escorting Mr Shah  while the culprit sped on towards his lair - scot free as usual.

You would have thought by now His Royal Lowness would have known better than to mess with the Nepali people, but, lo, no - Paras will be Paras no matter what. The palace still rules Nepal and Paras is still above the law and the army is still spraying bullets from helicopter gunships.

Read news in English
Read news in Nepali

Lekhanath  Naupane, a student leader affiliated with the Maoists adresses a public rally at the open theater - known as Khoolah Munch -  in the heart of the capital on Friday.

According to one of our readers, TRUEMAN, who was at the rally, Lekha Nath Neupane “began and ended his speech with a clenched fist salute to rapturous applause from thousands of people.” “Our hands are not only used for making a fist,” he said in the Nepali language. “We are engaged in a revolution for peace but if necessary we can pick up guns and bombs again.”
Photo: Shaligram Tiwari/ Kantipur

The first session of the reinstated House of Representatives, the lower chamber of Nepal’s bi-cameral legislature, concluded Friday with the newly-appointed prime minister, Girija Prasad Koirala, tabling a motion to hold Constituent Assembly elections to draft a new constitution.
Deputy Speaker of the HoR Chitralekha Yadav conducted the business of the House following the [forced] resignation Wednesday of Speaker Taranath Ranabhat, a Nepali Congress MP who is known to have a soft-corner for the palace.

Parliament in session

MPs wait for the arrival of Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala

Photos: Bikash Rauniyar/TPK

Maoist rebels have a scheduled a peaceful rally for Firday noon. Sources said the rally is being organized by the student wing of CPN (Maoist) party, All Nepal National Independent Students’ Union - Revolutionary (ANNISU-R).

According to The Times of India  ”… Gyanendra refused to make any commitment that he would hand over the reins to the seven-party alliance without dictating who heads the government.”

Related story: Karan Singh delivers tough message to king

Here’s another one from the Indian Express: http://www.indianexpress.com/story/2824.html

Ranjana Oli

The people were beaten mercilessly and several protestors killed.

Hiding in his Pokhara resort, protecting his clumsy body from the fear of death, Gyanendra was stunned at the fearlessness and courage of the people of Nepal, who confronted his security forces with nothing but bare hands and an unshakable resolve to break free. As the movement gathered momentum and spread to other parts of the country like a wild fire, Gyanendra said unto himself, “These people have finally figured out that there lies an immense strength in unity and there goes my way of life!”

Frightened and shaken he has called the parties to come to his rescue, but what about his sycophants and enemy of the people, like Kamal Thapa and the police officers who opened fire at the protestors? Are they still in the country or have they fled already? Read the rest of this entry »

एक प्रहरीको मृत्यु ३ सशस्त्र प्रहरी धाइते

कृष्ण अधिकारी

नेपालगन्ज १३ फागुन - माओबादीले शनिबार दिउसो नेपालगंजको राझा स्थित सुरक्षा पोष्टमा आक्रमण गर्दा एक जनपथ प्रहरीको मृत्यु भएको छ । आक्रमणमा परि ३ सशस्त्र प्रहरी सामान्य घाइते भएका छन । माओबादीले सुरक्षा पोष्टमा एक साथ आक्रमण गर्दा करिब १ घन्टा सम्म दोहोरो गोली हानाहान भएको थियो ।

एक महिना पहिले पनि सोही पोष्टमा माओबादीको आक्रमणमा परी २ जना सशस्त्र प्रहरीको मृत्यु भएको थियो । आक्रमणमा परी प्रहरी जवान कर्ण बहादुर तारमीमगर कैलाली को मृत्यु भएको प्रहरीले बताएको छ । भर्खरै तालिम पुरा गरेका मगर सरुवा भई हुम्ला जानका लागि हवाइ टिकटको ब्यबस्था मिलाउन राझा बिमानस्थल जादै गरेको अबस्थामा घटनामा परेको बताइएको छ । उक्त आक्रमण पछि करिब ३ घन्टा सम्म नेपालगन्ज कोहलपुर खण्डको आबागमन बन्द गरी सुरक्षाफौज ले सर्च कारबाही संचालन गरेको थियो । ३ घन्टा सम्म यातायात बन्द हुदा हजारौं यात्रुहरु अलपत्र परेका थिए भने नेपालगन्ज बिमानस्थल पनि केहीबेर बन्द भएको थियो ।

नेपालगंजको सुरक्षा ब्यबस्थालाई प्रभाबकारी बनाउन शनिबार पनि साझ ८ बजे देखि नै कर्फ्यु लगाईएको छ ।

किसानको रकम भुक्तानी नगरे मिल जनतालाई हस्तान्तरण गरिने

कर्ण बोहरा, कृष्ण अधिकारी

महेन्द्रनगर ११ फागुन - पूर्व प्रधानमन्त्री लोकेन्द्रबहादुर चन्दका छोरा तथा कैलालीको चुहास्थित वासुलिङ्ग सुगर एण्ड जनरल इण्डष्ट्रिज लिमिटेडका कार्यकारी निर्देशक अरुण चन्दलाई पश्चिम तर्राईका किसानहरुबाट उखु खरिद गरेको तीन करोड रुपैयाँ भन्दा बढी रकम भुक्तानी गर्न माओवादीले आग्रह गरेका छन । माओवादीसँग गरेको प्रतिबध्ताको म्याद सकिन १९ दिन बाकी हुदा सशस्त्र बिद्रोहीले तत्काल भुक्तानीको पहल गर्न पुनः सम्झाएको हो ।

काठमाडौंबाट कैलाली आउँदा गत कात्तिकमा १२ दिनसम्म माओवादीको नियन्त्रणमा परेका बेला चन्दले कञ्चनपुर, कैलाली, बाँके र बर्दियाका हजारौं किसानहरुको उखु खरिदको भुक्तानी गर्न बाँकी तीन करोड ११ लाख चार हजार रुपैयाँ फागुन मसान्तसम्ममा भुक्तानी गर्ने कागज गरेपछि माओवादीले उनलाई मुक्त गरेका थिए । Read the rest of this entry »