Says situation not conducive for FSU election due to YCL, PLA

Chitwan, March 17:

Nepal Students’ Union, Chitwan, today said the upcoming Free Student Union election would be unacceptable to the union, saying that there was not an environment conducive for the polls due to the widespread terror created by the Maoist student wing with the help of YCL and PLA fighters.

Organising a press meet here today, district chairman of NSU Jitnarayan Shrestha said, “There is no conducive environment for the election. Students cannot caste their votes in a fair and free manner in such a situation.” He also demanded for the postponement of the polls in all campuses in Chitwan. Shrestha said, “We won’t accept the election if it is forcefully held in such a situation.” Shrestha said, “We will be compelled to hinder the election if it is held in such a environment of terror.”

The NSU said its candidates were being threatened to withdraw their candidacy. It added that not only the candidates but also their family members were being threatened by the Maoist student wing.

However, central member of ANNISU-R Lal Bahadur Tamang refuted the NSU’s allegation and said the NC student wing was trying to defer the polls due to its defeated mentality. He said the Maoist student wing will not accept if the campus administrations postponed the polls unilaterally.

Earlier today, Chitwan chapter of the Nepali Congress also called for the postponement of FSU polls in all campuses in Chitwan, on the backdrop of increasing clashes among the student unions, RSS reported.

Issuing a press release, Nepali Congress Chitwan president Ram Krishna Ghimire said a serious situation had been created due to clashes among student unions.

He said the polls should be postponed until the situation normalised. He urged chiefs of all campuses in the district to postpone the polls. He also urged all student unions and political parties to keep restraint to normalise the situation. After repeated clashes in several campuses yesterday, large numbers of security men have been deployed in all campuses. Students have been terrified due to the surge in poll related violence.

The local administration has formed an all-party FSU election task force coordinated by CDO to hold the polls peacefully and avoid clashes between the student unions. The task force has also called the student unions to keep restraint.