Kathmandu, September 13

The main opposition Nepali Congress today announced protest programmes against yesterday’s incident in Banke where a group of Nepal Communist Party (NCP) cadres attacked NC leaders, including its septuagenarian district President Kiran Koirala, who had her hand fractured.

The NC has sought immediate action against those involved in the incident.

As part of its nationwide awareness campaign, the NC was holding an interaction in the hall of Red Cross office in Sitapur, Khajura Rural Municipality, yesterday, when around 50 NCP cadres barged into the hall and started attacking NC leaders and cadres, said NC Spokesperson Bishwa Prakash Sharma during a press conference to announce protest programmes.

“The NC takes seriously the attack on a septuagenarian leader who’s like our mother,” said Sharma, showing a photograph of Koirala with her left hand in a cast.

Sharma said the NC was shocked that police did nothing and remained casual bystanders.

He said had NC youth leaders lost their cool and not acted responsibly, many of the NCP cadres would have been seriously injured.

Meanwhile, Minister of Home Affairs Ram Bahadur Thapa said the government had already arrested three of the attackers involved in the incident. He added that those involved would be brought to book.

Speaking at today’s meeting of the parliamentary State Affairs and Good Governance Committee, Thapa said the attack was not political, but was carried out over a Facebook post related to character assassination. He, however, did not elaborate.

However, NC Spokesperson Sharma alleged that it was a pre-meditated attack and could not be a result of a Facebook post. “Do you think a septuagenarian will have issues with anybody on Facebook?” he wondered.

Later today, NC submitted a memorandum against depleting law and order situation and hooliganism to authorities concerned in Banke. NC also organised a demonstration at BP Chowk, Nepalgunj, and submitted a written complaint against the incident to the local administration.

Today’s programmes

• NC district presidents of Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur to submit memorandum to the government through the Ministry of Home Affairs in the morning
• NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba to travel to Banke to join protests
• NC to organise a peaceful demonstration at Maitighar Mandala in Kathmandu at 3:00pm