Demonstration of leaders, workers and supporters from different places of the district while the statement was going on with the president of the RSVP Lamichhane.
While the Chitwan police were taking a statement from the former home minister Ravi Lamichhane in the District Public Prosecutor's office on Wednesday, the protesting RSVP activists beat up the media persons. Clashes also took place between RSVP workers and security personnel.
Leaders, activists and supporters from different places of the district demonstrated in Bharatpur while the statement was going on with the president of RSVP Lamichhane, who is also the Member of Parliament of Chitwan-2. RSVP activists attacked journalist Santosh Deuja while he was broadcasting live news of the protests and clashes.
The Nepal Journalist Federation reported that the RSWP workers punched him and chased him away. Narayan Adhikari, the president of the Federation of Chitwan Branch, said that the protestors abused Pratima Silwal, a journalist affiliated with Nepal Press Online, and Pratima Silwal, the vice president of the Nepal Journalist Federation Chitwan Branch, who went to meet Deuja who ran and took refuge in a house on Hospital Road.
40/50 of its workers and supporters were injured in clashes with the police, RSWP said. When the leaders-activists of RSVP gathered in Choubiskothi tried to go towards the Public Prosecutor's Office through Hospital Road shouting slogans, the police stopped them in front of the District Police Office.
During that time, tear gas was fired from pushing, stone pelting, baton charge, throwing water fountains. Gautam Mishra, Superintendent of Police (SP) of the District Police Office said that eight policemen were injured. About 50 cells of tear gas were fired by the police and armed police.
The public prosecutor's office is directly 300 meters east of Lamichhane's statement from the district police office. After the police did not allow the protestors to proceed from the front of the district police office, the leaders started their speech there. But after a while stone pelting and lathi charge started.
One DSP does not live in that district, he came from somewhere, he pointed at me and told me to throw the stick. Another policeman used abusive language. After that, the atmosphere deteriorated," said Krishna Prasad Bhusal, president of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Panchayat, Chitwan. He said that 16 of the injured protestors are still in the hospital.
SP Mishra said that normal force was used to prevent the situation from getting worse after stones were pelted on the police. Due to the clash, the atmosphere was tense in front of the district police office for almost half an hour. After the situation returned to normal, the protestors gathered at the district police office square and stayed till 3 pm. They also staged a chakkajam at Chaubiskothi Chowk in Bharatpur.
Chitwan police brought Lamichhane to Bharatpur on Tuesday and started the statement. On Tuesday, there was not as big a demonstration as on Wednesday. "We do not want to help in the judicial process, we do not want to put pressure anywhere. But caution is necessary. That's why we are protesting," said Raswapa district president Bhusal.
Chitwan Police took a statement from Lamichhane after a complaint was received on allegations of misappropriation of 10 million rupees saved by common people in Sahara Chitwan Cooperative to Gorkha Media Network Pvt. Before the demonstration of RSWP workers, the victim savers of Sahara Chitwan Cooperative Society demonstrated for a while at Jesus Chowk.
Statement completed in Chitwan, Arrest warrant issued in Parsa
Sahara Chitwan multi-purpose cooperative organization's savings embezzlement, police have finished statement with Ravi Lamichhane, chairman of RSWP and former home minister. Chitwan District Police Office Investigation Officer DSP Gyan Kumar Mahato took a statement from Lamichhane before District Attorney (Government Attorney) Shanti Prasad Luintel from Tuesday. The statement ended at 9 pm on Wednesday.
In two days, Lamichhane was asked 74 questions by public prosecutor Luintel. Chitwan Police Chief SP Gautam Mishra said that even after the statement, some procedures are still left. Parsa police issued an arrest warrant against Lamichhane before the statement was completed in Chitwan. The Parsa police have taken permission from the court to investigate him in the misappropriation of the savings of small cooperatives in Birganj.
