For the record: Govt to take legal measures to tame
An emergency cabinet meeting today evening decided to take every possible legal measure to bring the situation at the Nepalgunj based Riot Control Police Battalion under control. The cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister’s official residence at Baluwatar directed the Home Ministry to tame the situation at Nepalgunj police battalion where seven police personnel are being held hostage by junior police personnel since yesterday, said a minister who attended the meeting. The meeting also ordered the ministry to make necessary arrangements to maintain discipline in all the security bodies, remain alert to avert such incidents in the future and to take the incident under control at the earliest.
A meeting of top security officials of both the Nepal Police and Armed Police Force this afternoon hinted at adopting stern measures against such incidents. Other ranks police personnel of Nepalgunj Riot Control Police Battalion have taken seven police personnel, including senior police officers, hostage protesting what they called economic exploitation and indecent behaviour by their officers.
Nepalgunj announced ‘tense area’
Nepal Police and Armed Police surrounded the Riot Control Police Force-Nepalgunj and the Mid-western regional Armed Police Force battalion today to rescue the seven police personnel, including officers, held hostages and to control the disturbances in Banke district. Banke district administration has announced the surrounding areas extending till 500 km around the battalion office as a ‘tense area’. More than 200 police officers have been deployed at Dhamboji chowk and Puspalal chowk for security reasons.
The agitating police, who had launched the movement with 29-point demands, have deducted their demands to 20-points protesting against the high-level officers who exploited them economically and demonstrated indecent behavior. Leader of the agitating police squad Assistant Police Inspector Dhan Bahadur Bika said that they will only hold talks with the Home Minister, the head of police personnel, the Seven Party Alliance (SPA) central leaders, the reporters and the human rights activist. According to security authorities, the battalion has been surrounded to control the agitating police officers from escaping and to let them surrender.
Meanwhile, a chopper of Nepal Army was also making aerial patrol around the incident site. Seven police men including Police chief for Bheri zone Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Parshuram Khatri, Police chief for Banke district SP Ghanashyam Bhatta, Riot Police Team chief SP Akhtar Alim Ansari and chief of Mid-Western region Police Training Centre-Nepalgunj SP Sudip Acharya have been held captive within the office of Riot Control Team of Nepal Police, leader Bika, informed. The firing had taken place on Friday and Saturday morning at around 10 following a dispute among the police personnel.
Police rebel against ‘ill-treatment’/SSP, 3 SPs among 8 hostages
In yet another rebellion against what is claimed to be “rampant ill-treatment and discrimination”, over 500 police personnel seized the Riot Control Battalion and the Mid-western Regional Company of Nepal Police at Puspalal Chowk, Nepalgunj Municipality in Banke district, Saturday (12 July) afternoon. The rebelling police also took eight senior officers hostage. Nepalgunj area remained tense as the rebel police fired over 15 rounds into the air from the battalion premises and the rooftops of nearby houses. Those taken hostage include police chief of Bheri zone Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Parshuram Khatri, Banke police chief SP Ghanashyam Bhatta, chief of the Riot Control Battalion SP Akhtar Alim Ansari and chief of Mid-western Regional Company SP Sudip Acharya.
The senior police officials had apparently gone to the battalion complex for morning exercise. The agitators, after barging into the area, fired shots into the air and took them captive. Some of the police officials were reportedly assaulted. Three persons including a tennis player and a retired police officer, who were there during the incident, were released after four hours in captivity.
The disgruntled policemen warned the general public and journalists not to walk the nearby road. Journalists were also barred from taking pictures. Many policemen were seen shouting slogans against their seniors at the main gate of the battalion premises.
Sub-inspector Dhan Bahadur BK, who is leading the agitation, said the senior officers were being held hostage on charges of providing low quality food to the rank and file, involvement in rampant corruption, financial exploitation of juniors and misuse of resources. “You will gradually learn what our demands are,” he said. BK also warned journalists not to write anything against them. According to him, they will not release the captive officers until their 29-point demand is met.
Later, the agitating policemen also took the captive officers to Bheri Zonal Hospital to test them for “sobriety” and said action would be taken against those found to be intoxicated. For the purpose, they “seized” the hospital for over an hour and also closed the main gate till the hostages were taken back to battalion premises. The locals claimed that they heard some gunshots on Friday night also.
NHRC expresses concern over Nepalgunj mutiny
Expressing its concern over the incident at the Nepalgunj based Riot Control Police Battalion the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Sunday advised the government to bring the situation under control at the earliest. The commission has also recommended legal measures to maintain the chain-of-command and discipline in the police administration. In a letter to the Prime Minister’s office today, the NHRC said a peaceful environment must be maintained to safeguard lives and property with the minimum of force.
This is not the first revolt in a police organization: In similar manner on June 21, over 200 Armed Police Force (APF) personnel of the Bageshwori Battalion at Shamsergunj in Banke district had revolted in protest against poor quality rations and ill-treatment by seniors. They had also beaten up then APF battalion chief SP Harishankar Budhathoki and other senior officers including three DSPs and taken over a dozen senior personnel into captivity. Later, the agitation ended after a team from the Home Ministry held talks with them and pledged to take action against the seniors involved in “irregularities and misbehavior” as per the report of a probe committee. Both the senior Home Ministry officials and APF top brass had praised the rebelling APF men, with one very senior APF officer even “congratulating” the rebellious APF men for their “courage”.
United We Blog 
Comments
22 responses to “Police Mutiny-II (Nepal Turning Into Lawless Land)”
Lawless Land?? Well, you asked for it … by voting for those who killed and pilaged for years … by not following any method in abolishing century old institutions of the nation … and by playing to the tunes of hallow speeches … what do you expect?
Welcome to the promised land!
This is one example that lawlessness is creeping in our country. If the person in the security area do something of this intensity then think what the general public is going through. Actually, the Police who have done this is not all to blame but the situation which led to all this.
Hope peace is restored.
most of the personnels in our security instituions lack strong discipline, that goes to every rank n file. disciplined army can win any battle and even war. but they see it more as a source of power that lifts them above general civilians rather than as a profession, a perfect example of feduals. wat is to expect from such badly managed institutions where there is so much unfair and open secret corruptions conducted by the higher level officers who walk with such a pride. ‘revolt’ doesnt just fall from the sky, it happens when it is to. so, good that it happened, its a clear sign for seroius REFORM of all the security institutions and professionalize it more.
NingmaFungma bless us all…..
Until there is clarity it seems to be as it is. People do not know for the coming say five years if we are 1. heading towards more of the same, 2. magic it iwll be the only swiss choclate country in the world 3 most likely in spite of differences settled maobadi will loose faith in their leaders because leaders are not getting a chance by clever loosers and during the next elections it will be worse again and again and again.
Gloom picture actually nobody lets nobody rule their common country. No habit of reasoning or reasonable behaviour. What the meaning of nepali or mao or congress? They are merely labels Obama is not going to be better because he is young and cute we live in a culture of images. Prachandra would have been too good for Nepal there are no merits why if the people fired the old gang they cannot GO FOREVER
Some are taking advantage of exactly this situation, the foreign NGO’s can ‘help’again and so on.
Look who is doing well these coming years true doublecrossers and opportunists, Then because of jealous they have to pretend they do not own 6 homes. In three countries.
People should be more simple. What happened to the time where they married once and coocked on wood fire?
Nepal police need reform, it is one of the most racist and corrupt institution with bahuns and chetrri monpoly. Right now what we all need to do is listen to the grievances of the mutineer or this thing can turn ugly …
Power to the Mutineer, Power to the Rebel.
I think this is just the begining, there are more yet to be seen if people like Khanal, Girija and Prachanda rules. They are themselves to be blamed for making this land lawless. Look at present situation, youth forum of UML taking law in their hand and ruling leaders are supporting them directly. Now NC is also planning to head toward that direction. If they are following maoist strategies then why should we need UML and NC. Lets give all power to maoist and let them rule the country solely so that atleast only one power will take care the country and the people.
Here is the latest update:
http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2008/jul/jul14/news02.php
After the government refused to hold talks or entertain their ’20-point’ demands and asked them to surrender or face consequences, they chose to surrender when policemen from the Armed Police Force stormed the compound.
The police administration presented the four policemen before media persons in Nepalgunj this afternoon, but the authorities are yet to disclose how many others have been arrested.
Reports said a number of police officials involved in the rebellion fled the battalion overnight after the government decided to take tough action to break the siege.
Its a national disgrace, god knows what will happen once the PLAs are integrated in these institutions. Unprofessional, undisciplined and however corrupt they may be, we’ve always palced our faith and trust on them as an integral part, in defending the nation’s sovereignty. Their actions have tarnished the nation’s image therefore deserves to be dealt with, severely in accordance with an existing law but the government seemed to be letting the superiors off the hook, they’re equally to blame for this happening as it is clearly attributable to their culture of feudal symtem.
Does “lead by an example” mean anything to these commanders? Dbt it.
those police involved must be punished and the demand/blame they have brought forward should be investigated as well.
If the superior really had been mistreating them, then those superiors should be punished too.
one thing i really like the way govt. made a masculine decision- sending armed police force, air surveillance, commandos was a great decision.
it would have been really proud if govt. would do the same when maoist/ycl beat, or kidnape nepalese.
when you take responsibility to protect people govt. hast to protect people at all cost.
What? who are guys kidding? Nepal’s been a lawless, corrupt state for decades now. Nepalese people have a reputation for being real troublemakers in the in regiion.
In Pokhara, it the months before I left, it became quite clear that many people preferred to go to the YCL instead of the police, because they were more likely to have their issue solved. Nepal has never had rule of law. These incidents are symptoms, not the disease.
In addition, I’m sure most Nepalis reading this site have had to bribe the police for one thing or another in the past. They tried to solicit a bribe from me after seizing my motorcycle, and I’m a foreigner.
Desintegration was created with the caste system. Old power castes will not easily become toiletcleaners.
1. leave the countr for ten years
2. accept that they will not accept defeat
3. we are right they are wrong but in the end ashes to ashes and dust to dust. Or change labels all men are wrong all children are right. women are busy for this.
have a good one nothing disintegrates only the Koran and the jihad.
Until there is a solution for the army such as make them social workers something really honorable, they may still feel they have to be military or police I do not like any of them.
Maoists destroy and the army can repair. That would be cooperation. At this stage like in Darfur but we have a republic
How many maoists in the army@?
@ Neil: well this is as you said a symptom and not the disease. The concerned bodies have to take the necessary steps so that situations like these do not arise in the future.
This is just one scenario that things are not turning up right or as expected by the Nepalese general public after the CA elections. This is not what we expect our New Nepal to be.
If the political leaders wants us to understand this as the our New Nepal then they have to understand that we are not taking their story this time.
Let this situation, the revolt, be a wakeup call for the government. If situations like this can happen in an armed force barrack or the police battalion then think what the power of the general public can do.
Note: The power of the people brought down the then government and hence the fall of the royals.
Who made them to break the rule and discipline, are they mad???? Ofcourse not, but the act of the officers made them.
Must suspend such kind of officers which bring this kind of condition and made the lower staff to do such kind of act.
It is unfair to punish them because media and political parties are the one who raise the voice in support of their grievances during the royal regime……… It is totally “Gaddari” not support their grievances… The way might be wrong but to raise the voice for their right needs to be treated seriously.
NOT turning into lawless but it is already before you wrote this article…and it had already turned lawless country since nepal was united
Maybe the Nepali should talk to the Palestinian, the Greek, the Thai, the Indian, and the Chechen . In the meantime, thehiawathatriad.org, triadexp.info, and triadblog.info/blog might make some good light reading.