Kathmandu, September 21:

Various religious leaders today accused the elements opposing the constituent assembly polls of orchestrating the Kapilvastu mayhem to thwart the November 22 polls.

They, however, urged all sections of the society to keep intact the age-old religious harmony. “Such incidents are deplorable,” Mohamaddin Ali of the Nepal Muslim Itihad Sangathan told an interaction at the Reporters’ Club today.

Pandit Din Bandhu Pokhrel, laying emphasis on the need to maintain age-old religious harmony in the country, said such incidents should not be used to bring religious commotion. “The state must act immediately to control the mayhem,” Pokhrel said.

Junad Ansari of the Loktantrik Madesh Sangathan said the Kapilvastu disturbances were “aimed at thwarting” the polls. Terming Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula “incapable and incompetent”, he demanded Sitaula’s resignation for failing to control the chaos.

Najrul Hussein of the Islamic Sangathan Mahasangh said some criminal groups are trying to disturb the religious harmony and urged the political leaders to act responsibly.

Human right activist Sudip Pathak said that “international pressure” has to be put on Nepal to control such riots and monitor human rights violations. Saying that the human rights situation has worsened in the last one year, Pathak said it will not be possible to hold constituent assembly polls if there is no improvement in the law and order situation.

Pathak also said some 180 people have been killed in the country in riots and disturbances since April 2006.

RJP’s take

KATHMANDU: Chairman of the Rastriya Janashakti Party (RJP) Surya Bahadur Thapa on Friday termed the Kapilvastu incident a conspiracy by some “anti-national elements” to thwart the constituent assembly elections. “The mayhem is also aimed at disturbing the religious harmony and fulfiling a selfish political motive,” Thapa said in a statement. Thapa said his party feels that law and order situation is weak in the country. — HNS