KATHMANDU, SEPTEMBER 11

Students of Tri-Chandra College affiliated to Nepal Student Union, the student wing of the ruling Nepali Congress, clashed with police personnel today during a protest outside the college in Ghantaghar, Kathmandu.

The students had organised the protest to exert pressure on President Bidhya Devi Bhandari, who has not ratified the citizenship bill even though the House of Representatives had passed it twice.

The peaceful demonstration, however, turned violent after some aggressive students tried to burn the effigy of the president. Scores of security personnel seized the effigy and dispersed the students. The scattered students then entered the college premise and pelted stones and bricks at the police in the street. Police also threw stones at the protesters which made the college environment more tense, as per students.

Luckily, no untoward incident occurred.

NSU leader Tirtha Raj Mishra, who led today's protest, said it was unconstitutional of the president to hold the citizenship bill for the second time.

The president had on August 18 returned the citizenship bill for review without making any changes. However, the HoR passed the bill with majority for the second time and sent it for ratification from the Upper House for the second time on September 6. The president has to authenticate any bill that are passed by the House of Representatives within 15 days.

As the deadline nears for the president to authenticate the bill, the ruling parties have been accusing the president of acting on behalf of one party.

'The president's recent action is sheer violation of the constitution as she has undermined the people's HoR and thus the verdict of the people,' Mishra said. He further said she was acting on behalf of a certain party which appointed her the president.

Senior leader from the ruling coalition Chairman of Nepal Communist Party Pushpa Kamal Dahal expressed doubts that president Bhandari would endorse the citizenship bill.

The proposed citizenship bill will pave the way for thousands of people who have been denied citizenship despite the fact that their parents have citizenship of descent as per the 2007 Interim Constitution.

A version of this article appears in the print on September 12, 2022 of The Himalayan Times.