Democracy For Nepal: Get The Police On Our Side

Saturday, April 15, 2006

Get The Police On Our Side

The idea is to own the state on behalf of the people. That is what this revolution is about.

The international community is on our side. The Maoists are on our side. The civil society is on our side.

The bureaucracy is on our side. Even the Home Ministry bureaucrats are on our side.

Now we need to get the police onto our side, and finally the army. We don't need everyone of the police officers to come on our side. We will do just fine getting all except a few top guys.

How would we do that?

I understand there are limitations. Our demonstrators have been shot at from behind. The police have broken into homes to beat up people. The police have beat up sleeping medical students.

But this is a revolution, and some radical ideas should be tried.

The foot soldiers among the police are not Gyanendra, Kamal Thapa or Tulsi Giri. These people are in there for their small salaries.

Our goal is to topple this regime. We should make an attempt to get the police on our side.

How would we do that? I would like to suggest some ideas.

The seven party alliance should declare any police officer that might get fired for not following the orders of this regime will be reinstated by the revolutionary government.
We should engage in some massive pamphleteering to target the police. Those pamphlets should give them the reasons why they should switch sides.
Stop all stone throwing immediately. Instead confront the police out in the streets in large numbers. Walk over to the police cordon. And start making small talk. The smoothest talking among the students should form small bands that are specifically assigned to do this.
Negotiate. No stone throwing, no tear gas.
When large crowds of people and the police meet out in the streets, arrange for them to not act hostile, as far as possible.

This is not to slow down the revolution, definitely not to stop it. This is about taking the revolution to a whole new level, a whole new height. We want the revolutionary democratic government to command the police force. So we got to start the process.

If we succeed with the police, we can next target the army. The foot soldiers in both outfits come from similar backgrounds. If we can get one, we can get another.

जनता, पुिलस, सेना एक होउ

यो आन्दोलन अब क्रान्ित भइसक्यो। राजतन्त्र फाल्ने बेला आइसकेको छ। आमूल पिरवर्तनको समय आइसकेको छ। राजा फािलन्छन्। सेनाका २०-३० जेनेरलहरु फािलन्छन्। प्रहरीका मािथल्ला २०-३० व्यिक्त फािलएलान्। ती मध्ये कित जेल जालान्। बाँकी सरकारी मशीनरी त लोकतािन्त्रक सरकारको मातहत आउने हो।

This has to be our new slogan: जनता, पुिलस, सेना एक होउ.

In The News

Annan urges King to take courageous step to resolve present crisis NepalNews
ICJ asks government to respect laws; IFJ writes Annan to pressure King
Mass demonstrations in Chitwan and Sunsari on Friday
Low turnout in Bisket Jatra due to political unrest
Parliamentary poll best option to resolve current crisis: Govt. Spokesman
Protests continue; dozens of professionals arrested
King's message fails to address the problems of the country: Leaders
Government deports two foreign doctors: Report
Gongabu incident: An injured Photo-journalist tells the story

Gongabu incident: An injured photo-journalist tells his story (Nepalnews special)

Not only pro-democracy activists, journalists and rights activists and lawyers have also become the victim of police atrocities in recent days in course of agitation of seven political parties.

Photo-journalist Shrestha in action ( Photo Source : Bibi Funyal)

Kumar Shrestha, a photojournalist associated with Nepalnews.com also become the victim of police atrocity last Tuesday.

Shrestha, who was covering the pro-democracy movement in Gongabu area of the Capital, received bullet injury fired by the security personnel.

Over 90 protestors were also injured during the incident.

A rubber bullet hit him when he was taking picture of the demonstration in Gongabu area. Shrestha, who had saved the life of security personnel on Monday, become the victim of Police firing a day later.

“I was taking photographs of protestors trying to set ablaze the resident of Additional Inspector General (AIG) of Nepal Police Rupsagar Moktan, suddenly I was hit by a bullet and became unconscious, ” said Kumar.

Protestors even tried to set ablaze the residence of Moktan in retaliation after police personnel fired bullets on them from his residence.

Then Kumar was rushed to the TU Teaching Hospital for treatment. Doctors are yet to take out some parts of bullets from hands of Shrestha. Doctors have recommended that the bullet be taken out only after the wound is recovered. This is perhaps the first incident when a journalist was shot while covering news.

Over 140 journalists were arrested and dozens injured when police attacked media personnel while they were covering latest round of anti-government protests across the country over last week.

Police thrashed out four journalists affiliated to Kantipur Publications, including assistant editor of Kantipur dainik, Balram Baniya, at Chuchepati in Kathmandu last week. They were there to cover how people were defying the curfew orders.

“Our job is to inform people on what is happening in the country. We are not political activists. So, attacks upon journalists is unnecessary,” added Kumar.

Widely traveled Shrestha, who has visited Maoist strongholds in the course of his duty, said he would continue his profession despite risks associated with it.

“We have been targeted by both the sides which is very unfortunate,” he added.

“Many protestors had been shot by the security forces before I received bullet injury. There was continuous firing in the demonstration,” he recalled.

Protestors vandalized nearly half dozen vehicles of different media during the protest programmes. Neither the government nor the protestors seemed bothered about the rights of the journalists.

Police charging batons on protesters in Gongabu on Tuesday. (File Photo)

Talking to Nepalnews, President of the Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ), an umbrella organisation of the working journalists across the country, Bishnu Nisthuri, alleged that the government was treating independent press in the country as an enemy. “Recent incidents are testimony to the government’s behavior,” he added.

National and International media watchdogs have condemned the government’s atrocities against media and have raised voices to respect press freedom.

Minister of state for Information and Communications and the government’s spokesperson Shrish Shumser Rana refuted claims that journalists were targeted.

He said that he did not have information about such attack and that the government had no policy to attack journalists, adding, “Some journalists are becoming the part of the agitation which is against the professional ethics of journalism.” nepalnews.com pb Apr 14 06

Visitors

Page views yesterday366

15 April