Black Day’ marked

KATHMANDU: Marking the second anniversary of declaration of Nepal as a secular state, the Hindu Prajatantric Party observed ‘Black Day’ on Saturday. As part of the protest, the party’s central and regional offices and their vehicles sported black flags, said Bishnu Kumar Prasai, chief of the party. He said never had the country witnessed bloodshed in the name of religion. “Other religious groups enjoyed equal freedom and rights even when Nepal was a Hindu nation.” Prasai added that the parliamentary declaration has only fuelled communal conflicts. “We will continue to stage protests until the government declares Nepal a Hindu state,” he added. — HNS

NHRC plea

LALITPUR: The National Human Rights Commission on Saturday has urged the government to launch an awareness programme on domestic violence against women, take action against persons involved in the violence as recommended by the commission in the past and provide reasonable compensation to the victims. Member and spokesperson of the human rights body, Gouri Pradhan, said the government was unable to provide enough protection to women against violence as they continue to face several kinds of violence. The state should not spare anyone involved in violence against women, Pradhan added. — RSS