Kathmandu, April 27:

Various civil servants’ organisations and senior government officials today urged the upcoming government to punish chief secretary Lok Man Singh Karki for his role in suppressing the people’s movement.

Addressing a programme at the Reporters’ Club, chairman of the Civil Servant’s Union Bhawani Prasad Thani said Karki should resign from his post as he was not fit to serve the people’s government. “If he refuses to resign, the new government should sack him,” Thani said.

He also added that the union has detailed information about those persons who played a role in suppressing the people’s movement. He added that good governance would be achieved only if the new government dares to punish those who misuse their posts and powers. Chairman of the Civil Servants’ Organisation Murari Bhattarai also asked Karki to resign, saying that otherwise the organisation would launch protests to demand action against him.

He also demanded action against those pro-palace civil servants, who had used their bureaucratic power to curb the people’s right to participate in the peaceful democratic movement.

Chairman of the Centre for Administration and Management Development Dilli Shivakoti said, “When the movement was on, Karki had told us that he could not work with us. Now, we declare that we cannot work with him.”

Bidhyadhar Mallik, secretary to the Peace Secretariat, said many high-level officials in the king’s government had to make promises for impossible tasks due to pressure. “Please find out the truth. There are many more like Karki,” he said.

Umesh Prasad Mainali, a secretary who had been shunted to the reserve pool by the King’s government for “political reasons”, said anyone not loyal to the country did not have the right to remain in the post or draw salary gleaned from tax-payers’ money. Shashi Kant Mainali, a former secretary, said if government staff claim themselves to be servants of the people they ought not to stay at home when people are thrashed by policemen on the streets.