FA condemns firing, arrest of protesters

  • Alliance alleges EC allowed candidates to file nominations on Saturday

Kathmandu, June 18

The Federal Alliance today issued a press release stating that police firing in Nawalparasi, where  Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal Coordinator Mahantha Thakur was addressing a programme, was the  result of a conspiracy to kill central leaders of the party.

The alliance demanded that those arrested from the protest venue should be immediately released. The party also demanded that the government should provide free medical treatment to those who were injured in police action.  The FA alleged that although the Election Commission had scheduled the filing of nomination papers by the candidates today, candidates were allowed to file nominations secretly yesterday. “This highlights the discriminatory policy  of the Election Commission and also erodes the credibility of the election schedule,” the alliance stated in its release.

The alliance claimed that its protest programmes organised yesterday and today against the second phase of local polls were successful.

The FA claimed that security personnel had arrested 458 supporters of RJP-N in several Tarai districts. The alliance added that security personnel arrested 20 leaders and cadres  of the RJP-N in Banke, more than 20 of its supporters  in Kapilvastu, 35 in Nawalparasi, 11 in Sunsari, 20 in Morang, eight in Siraha and more than 50 in Dhanusha district.