PK students burn effigies of Rawal, Thakuri
KATHMANDU: Padma Kanya College students today burnt the effigies of Home Minister Bhim Rawal and IGP Ramesh Chand Thakuri in protest against what they described as ‘indecent act’ meted out to them by DSP Prakash Karki of Maharajgung Ward Police Office during yesterday’s protest rally.
Accusing the DSP of ‘pulling their college dresses’, and using ‘abusive languages’, college girls halted the traffic for about two hours in the road adjacent to PK Campus.
Following the incident, police briefly detained a dozen students from the Campus. In the scuffle that ensued between the police and the students, Laxmi Dahal, Kaushila Bhatta and Chanda Sharma sustained injuries.
A dozen others, demanding justice for Suntali Dhami - a policewoman raped by her co-workers in Achham -were detained and released later. Dhami is in ‘preventive detention’ in the hospital and the protesting college girls were not permitted to see her.
PK students are scheduled to organise torch rally midday tomorrow, in protest against ‘police highhandedness in their peaceful rally.’
“Midday torch rally also symbolises the fact that the government is still keeping women in darkness and had curtailed their freedom,” said Lal Kumari Pokharel, president of Free Student Union, PK Campus unit.
She also regretted that none of the organisations working under women rights issues joined hands with them in their programme.
“Even the student unions showed hardly any interest in our programme,” she remarked, adding, “Whatever may be the case, we will not quit our agitation until justice is done to Dhami.”
