Kathmandu, May 11:

Submitting a nine-point demand to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the Maoist student wing All Nepal National Independent Students Union-Revolutionary (ANNISU-R) has asked the government and the Maoists to express commitment to meet their demands before embarking on talks.

The demands include the disclosure of the whereabouts of its former general secretary Purna Poudel, former central committee members Bipin Bhandary, Nabin Rai, Dil Bahadur Rai, Kamal Pun, Janaki Chaudhary, Krishna Chaudhary, Katak Rai, Gyanendra Tripathee, Devhari Rijal, Nirdal Shah, Gokul Niroula, Dipendra Panta, C N Dhungana, Prakash Poudel and Sindhupalchowk district president Akhil Nepal.

“Before opting for talks, both the parties — the government and the Maoists — should express commitment to meet these demands,” said Lekhnath Neupane, the ANNISU-R president at a press conference organised after submitting the memorandum.

“We won’t accept the talks if these demands are not addressed,” he said, adding the Maoist-affiliated students’ wing would launch another phase of people’s movement if their demands were not met.

Other demands put forth by the students’ body include drafting of new Loktantrik curricula, renaming of the educational institutions named after the kings, namely the Tribhuvan University, Mahendra Sanskrit University, Prithvi Narayan Campus, Mahendra Ratna, Ratna Rajya and Birendra Multiple Campuses.

The ANNISU-R also demanded that the statues of the kings and their family members be removed from colleges.

The king should not be the chancellor of Tribhuvan University and Mahendra Sanskrit University, the nine-point demand states, adding that university councils should elect their chancellors.

“The private education policy of the government should be scrapped. The government should take over the ownership of all such schools after providing compensation to the owners of private schools. As the process of taking over the schools may take time, fees should be reduced at the earliest and exploitation of teachers should be ended,” the nine-point demand states. “The government-Maoist peace talks should decide to go for an unconditional constituent assembly by dissolving the old constitution, parliament and the government,” the statement said adding, an interim constitution should be formulated and interim government formed.”

Neupane also demanded the immediate arrest of all the ‘murderers’ who killed the demonstrators during the people’s movement and probe into the murders thereafter.

He demanded that all the detained students affiliated to the Maoist student wing ANNISU-R, including former vice-president Krishna KC, former general secretary Himal Sharma, Ratna Dhakal, Raj Kajee Maharjan, Aendra Bikram Begha, Ram Chandra Adhikary and Tara Bhandary be released, handing over of schools to the communities be stopped, all the temporary teachers be made permanent, school admission campaign be stopped and the government take over the ownership of all the 10+2 colleges.

“The injured students should be provided free education, concessions in public transport fares and treatment.”

Meanwhile, the students’ wing has established a contact office in Bagbazaar.