KATHMANDU, JUNE 20

The demand to ensure justice to Prem Chalaune, an assistant professor of Tribhuvan University, has been raised from the roads after the government decided to drop an attempt to murder case against his attackers.

A Broad Civic Movement was organised in the capital today where rights activists, teachers and professors staged a protest expressing solidarity with Chalaune and demanded justice for him. They have demanded that the government revert the decision to scrap the sub-judice case at the court.

Participants in the demonstration shouted slogans and displayed placards seeking clarification on the injustice from the government.

The demonstrations were held outside Kathmandu District Court and outside the Office of the Vice-Chancellor where Chalaune has been staging a fast-unto-death strike from yesterday onwards.

Issuing a press release, Nepal University Teachers' Association has asked the government to scrap the decision. It also urged the government to ensure that the varsity maintains itself as a place of research and invention. Likewise, it asked the government to maintain the sanctity of the place and ensure the dignified life of teachers and mentors. Police intervened in the demonstration outside the court and arrested a dozen protesters who were released later today.

Chalaune has been on hunger strike after the government, on June 13, decided to drop a case against seven students who were charged with attempt to murder Chalaune when he was on duty on the premises of the varsity. Interestingly enough, the final verdict in the case was supposed to be given by the KDC after today's hearing.

Chalaune was brutally thrashed on 6 October 2020 on the vicinity of the varsity by a gang led by two students Rupesh Shah and Rabin Lama and five others. Later, it was revealed that they were asked to do so by the TU unit Chair of Nepali Congress student wing Nepal Students' Union Hari Prasad Acharya and Secretary Yogendra Rawal.

Chaulaune had filed an attempt to murder case against all the persons involved, who were later released on bail by KDC. The decision was upheld by Patan High Court as well.

The Office of Kathmandu District Government Attorney registered the withdrawal of the case at the KDC following the government's order. Had there been no such withdrawal, the court would have given the verdict on the case today after three years.

A version of this article appears in the print on June 21, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.