Briton accompanying Singha Durbar picketers arrested; Federal Alliance to picket PM residence on Tuesday

Kathmandu / May 16: A British national taking part in the Singha Durbar picket progamme held at the call of agitating Federal Alliance, Nepal Monday was arrested by police.

He was sighted in the protests venue carrying the alliance flag and wearing a head band. He had identified himself as ‘Martin Pewar’, but until the filing of this report, the police were trying to confirm his name as they were yet to get documents including his passport, according to Kathmandu’s Chief District Officer Ramkrishna Subedi. The arrested is being interrogated.

It may be noted that few days back the Department of Investigation rescinded the visa of Canadian national Robert Penner and ordered him to leave the country.

Some foreigners were sighted in the protest demonstrations carried out by the 29-parties’ Federal Alliance at Hanumanthan adjoining the Singha Durbar area and Maitighar Mandala yesterday too. “Any foreign national joining the protest programmes is against the law of immigration”, Home Ministry’s Spokesperson Yadav Koirala said. Anybody found guilty of violating the law will deserve punishment and her/his visa can be annulled.

Police sense that some donor agencies are backing the agitation and hence carrying out investigation to that end. The alliance comprises the Madhes-centric parties and some political parties led by the indigenous nationalities who have reservations over some provisions of the new constitution.

Meanwhile, the Federal Alliance, which has been on an agitation dissenting some provisions of the new constitution, has decided to picket the Prime Minister’s official residence Baluwatar on Tuesday.

The Alliance had staged demonstrations at Maitighar Mandala and Hanumansthan in the capital on May 15 and 16 as part of their Singha Durbar gherao campaign.

Alliance Coordiantor Upendra Yadav told that the decision was taken to encircle Prime Minister’s residence Baluwatar from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm tomorrow.

Changing the form and venue of the agitation the Alliance is besieging Baluwatar after Singha Durbar.

The Alliance comprising 29 political parties has decided to picket Baluwatar so as to mount pressure on Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to have their demands addressed.

The traffic system of the capital was thrown out of gear during the day today when the leaders of the political parties associated with the Alliance disrupted roads at Hanumansthan and Maitighar Mandala since 10:00 am this morning.

With the disruption of transport service, the passengers were compelled to walk long distance to reach their respective destination.

A large number of security personnel were kept on standby on the road to prevent agitators from entering into the areas surrounding Singha Durbar – the central administrative hub of the Nepal government.

The agitators had chanted slogans such as ‘Let not accept regressive constitution’, ‘Let not leave federalism with identity’ and ‘implement agreements signed with agitators’. Today’s Singha Durbar gherao programme ended at 5:00 pm. RSS