Disturbing incidents

As regards the Lahan incident, Maoist spokesperson and interim legislature member Krishna Bahadur Mahara has said that the Maoists were not in anyway involved in the killing of Ramesh Mahato, an innocent bystander.

However, the Maoists reportedly took away the body and forced Mahato’s family members into signing a statement terming the event an unfortunate incident. All this has happened at a time when United Nations human rights commissioner Louis Arbour was in Nepal calling for ending impunity for serious human rights violators.

I cannot understand how the eight-party alliance can get away by blaming a ‘foreign hand’. And how can the Maoists refute the claim of the eyewitnesses who saw them open fire? These disturbing events taking place in the Terai will only fuel communalism and violence.

Dr Bishnu Yadav, Banepa

Instigated

At a time when Nepal is headed towards the Constituent Assembly elections, recent incidents

of violence in the Terai have sown doubts in the minds of many Nepalis about their dream of a New Nepal coming true. The Janatantrik Terai Mukti Morcha and the Madeshi People’s Right

Forum are instigating violence in the name of Madhesi rights. This is not the right way to voice communal grievances when the country is going to the Constituent Assembly polls to settle all such grievances democratically. Violence will only make the elections more difficult to hold. This gives rise to serious doubts whether these violent incidents have not been instigated by those foreign forces and their regressive counterparts at home who want to disrupt the polls. To ensure durable peace and hold the Constituent Assembly elections as promised, the government should take all necessary measures to nip all violence in the bud, even by using force, if need be.

Ranjeev Shrestha, NCCS College, Paknajol

Strikes

Bandhs and strikes cannot benefit transport owners or other organisers in any way, instead they cause great inconvenience to the general public. It would be better to rely more on talks than on such extreme measures to address the grievances of any group. All reasonable demands should be fulfilled without hesitation.

Rashmi Karki, via e-mail

Cheating

Recently, I took a taxi to Bungamati from Lagankhel. To my shock, when I got down, the meter showed Rs. 600. The driver had surely rigged the metre. Different taxis show different fares even for the same distance. Is there no agency to check the taximeters and take strong action against the offenders? The people should be made aware of the standard fares to save them from cheating.

Rajendra Maharjan, via e-mail

TU results

It is sad that Tribhuvan University has not published the results of the exams conduced in the last eight months. Besides, I cannot understand why Tribhuvan University publishes the

results of the science stream before that of the management stream.

Hemraj Basnet, JAM Campus