Kathmandu, March 6:

Dalit activists led by Nepal National Independent Dalit Students’ Organisation padlocked the office of the National Dalit Commission (NDC) here today to oppose the government’s yesterday’s decision to appoint Bhagwat Biswasi as the chief of the NDC.

“We asked all the NDC employees to come out of their office and padlocked it to protest against government decision to appoint Biswasi as the NDC chief because he was a puppet of the royal government,” said Lokesh Biswokarma, president of NNIDSO. He demanded the government withdraw the decision to appoint a “royal agent” at the NDC. “We will launch a nationwide protest programme if the government remains indifferent to our demands,” Biswokarma said.

He also said the NDC executive committee headed by Biswasi, during the royal regime, had welcomed the February 1, 2005 royal takeover.