12 human rights activists briefly detained

KATHMANDU: A dozen human rights activists were briefly detained for staging a sit-in near the Democracy Day celebration venue in Kathmandu on Friday.

Activists and leaders of conflict victim organisations including Kanak Mani Dixit, Charan Prasain, Sabitri Shrestha, Suman Adhikari and Rasna Dhakal were staging the sit-in at Khula Manch demanding that the government immediately take initiatives to save life of Ganga Maya Adhikari.

Ganga Maya Adhikari of Phujel in Gorkha district has been staging a fast-unto-death demanding action against murderers of her son Krishna Prasad Adhikari, who was allegedly killed by the then Maoist cadres in Chitwan in 2004.

They had also demanded implementation of the Supreme Court order in the Bal Krishna Dhungel case.

The Court on January 7 had ordered the government not to give amnesty of UCPN-Maoist leader Dhungel, who was convicted of the murder of Ujjan Shrestha of Okhaldhunga district.

Police had arrested the protesters as state dignitaries including President Bidya Devi Bhandari, Vice-President Nanda Bahadur Pun, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, Chief Justice Kalyan Shrestha and Speaker Onsari Gharti were attending the Democracy Day function at Tundikhel, just some metres away the sit-in venue.

The detainees were freed few hours later, after the function was over.

Ganga Maya is the wife of late Nanda Prasad Adhikari, who died in a fast unto death in September 2014.