The Integrated Election Security Plan, 2082, prepared by the Nepal Army, Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and the National Investigation Department under the leadership of the Peace and Security Division under the Ministry of Home Affairs, has pointed out the potential unhealthy competition and confrontation between new and old forces as the main security challenge. The clash in Bara occurred on the same day that the same election security plan was passed on Sunday and implemented on Wednesday.

A clash broke out between a group that had reached Simara Airport to protest after learning that UML General Secretary Shankar Pokharel and Politburo member Mahesh Basnet were coming to a Madhesh province-level youth gathering organized in Parwanipur, Bara, and the cadres who had gone to welcome the leaders. The airport was closed after the clash and the District Administration Office had to impose a curfew.

After learning that UML General Secretary Pokharel and Basnet would be flying from Kathmandu to Simara at 10:30 am on Wednesday, Gen-G District Coordinator Samrat Upadhyay had appealed on Facebook on Tuesday to participate in the Simara demonstration. As per the appeal, 150 protesters gathered at Simara Chowk on Wednesday morning. Some local UML cadres had already reached the airport to welcome the leaders. As more UML cadres were going to the airport to welcome them, the Gen-G protesters clashed at Simara Chowk. After coming face to face, they got into an argument and ended up in a state of arm-wrestling. 

In the clash, Gen-G coordinator Upadhyay and leaders Shankar Pathak, Saurabh Karki, Sheikh Shafiq, Tek Bahadur Bhandari suffered injuries on their faces and knees. The protesting youth became more agitated and reached the airport, located 200 meters away from Simara Chowk. They broke the main iron gate at the airport and entered. The police lathi-charged and fired four tear gas shells. As the situation became tense, the airport was closed. Immediately, a meeting of the security committee was held and a curfew was imposed from 12:30 pm to 8 pm.

‘We had adopted high security alert since Wednesday morning after the Gen-G district coordinator wrote a Facebook post. We were closely monitoring the dispute, demonstration and program of both sides. But when the situation suddenly became tense, we imposed curfew,’ said Assistant Chief District Officer Chhabiraman Bhattarai.

While the curfew was in effect, the angry protesters continued to demonstrate by burning tires at Simara Chowk, demanding that the UML cadres who beat them be arrested. ‘The UML attacked the peaceful protest of Gen-G and the police intervened,’ Gen-G coordinator Upadhyay said, ‘We have filed a complaint against the UML cadres at the Area Police Office. It has not been registered. No one has even been arrested.’ Although the names of the attackers were not revealed, he said that a complaint has been filed against seven people. Police Inspector Diwakar Ganesh of the Area Police Office, Simara, said that the complaint will be investigated and arrests will be made. ‘We have started to normalize the tense situation throughout the day. A complaint has been received,’ he said, ‘We will investigate and make arrests.’

Shiva Yadav, Madhesh Province Coordinator of the Gen-G group led by Sudhan Gurung, has claimed that the UML is responsible for the Simara incident. "Despite the fact that UML goons came to Simara and insulted, abused and beat up Gen-G friends, some have tried to spread false information," he said. "The UML goons who committed this incident should be arrested immediately and action should be taken."

UML Politburo member Mahesh Basnet, who was prevented from flying from Kathmandu due to the tension in Simara, said that it was ridiculous for the government to claim to hold elections on 21 Falgun by violating the fundamental right given by the constitution to hold meetings and conferences and express free opinions. He also commented that imposing a curfew after failing to control a normal incident involving 50-60 people was a morally wrong act.

At a time when the Sushila Karki-led government is intensifying dialogue with various parties with an eye on the elections, the incident in Simara risks widening the gap between political parties, Gen-G and the government. The security group had already informed Prime Minister Karki and Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal about this. The election security plan was prepared after taking suggestions from the Prime Minister and Home Minister.

A senior police officer says that when the anger against the main political party has not subsided, two-party clashes and a show of force targeting each other can affect security. ‘Currently, party leaders are expressing that escaped prisoners and weapons outside are the main challenges for the election, but that is not the case,’ he says. ‘The real challenge is the activities of the parties and the gen-ji to prohibit each other.’ 

Senior advocate and constitutional expert Bhimarjun Acharya says that the role of both the gen-ji and the party should be balanced. ‘If the demonstration is to prevent the party leader from going to the assembly, it also raises questions on the gen-ji,’ he told Kantipur. ‘The party leaders are also making provocative speeches, and they should improve by realizing that the issues raised by the gen-ji are of the common Nepali. The parties have also made mistakes in this regard.’ Acharya says that now both parties have no option but to exercise restraint and stay within the limits of discipline and law.

Some groups of Gen-G and UML leaders seem to be inclined to provoke each other. UML is doing its homework to form a ‘National Volunteer Force’ with the aim of countering the Gen-G group. Just as it formed a Youth Force to counter the Maoist’s ‘Young Communist League (YCL)’ in the past, UML is preparing a new squad.

UML is campaigning to announce the central command of the ‘National Volunteer Force’ from Maitighar on 5th Mangsir in the presence of party chairman KP Sharma Oli. Police officers say that this could further worsen the atmosphere.

‘Both sides should proceed with restraint, but forming such groups could lead to a clash,’ said a Kathmandu police officer. He analyzes that since the police officers themselves are currently in a disturbed state, the situation could escalate if an unpleasant situation arises. ‘A curfew had to be imposed when a few hundred people gathered in Bara,’ the officer said, ‘Everyone should take this situation into account, everyone should think about preventing the state machinery from using force.’

Surendra Bahadur Shah, former Additional Inspector General (AIG) of Nepal Police, says that political parties and Gen-G should be accepted and moved forward. ‘But if one side goes on the streets and says that nothing happened on 23 and 24 Bhadra, while the other side acts as if the world turned upside down that day, there will be no way out,’ he says, ‘This is a country that has also ended a 10-year armed conflict, and we need to discuss and dialogue with the parties concerned on issues of disagreement. All parties should understand that there will be no way out by stopping or obstructing each other on the streets.’

Former member of the National Human Rights Commission, Mohana Ansari, said that Gen-G itself is also responsible for creating an atmosphere for the elections, and said that activities to ban parties will spoil the atmosphere. ‘They should consider that the parties have the same right to hold all kinds of meetings, rallies and protest programs in their areas,’ she said. ‘The election environment will not be created by stopping any party, whether UML, Congress or Maoist, and it is not good to engage in prohibition politics.’

Nepal Gen-G Front member Yujan Rajbhandari says that they are in favor of not spoiling the election environment. ‘We, including other Gen-G friends, are in favor of fulfilling some of the demands raised by us, but in the current sensitive situation, everyone should exercise restraint,’ he says. ‘Since there is no alternative to elections in the country right now, there should be no attempt by any party to engage in prohibition politics.’

Rajbhandari says that the entire country should be prepared in the same way as the current priority is to hold elections in a peaceful, fair and fear-free environment. ‘The front will strongly resist any attempt by anyone to disrupt peace and order and create obstacles in the election,’ he says.

Eight more security challenges for the election

The security mechanism has identified eight more major security challenges for the election. The integrated security plan mentions that inter-group conflicts between parties can also worsen the situation. It has also been assessed that when the security situation of the country is sensitive, undesirable groups can carry out activities that can provoke religious harmony in the border areas around the election. 

The activities of those raising the ethnic agenda in Koshi Province have also been mentioned as a security challenge. There is a security analysis that there may be tension between them and traditional parties. It is said that various groups can even engage in criminal activities by joining new parties. ‘A situation of tension can arise when the party that has the majority in the village tries to prohibit others,’ the security plan analyzes, ‘Illegal weapons, escaped prisoners and criminal activities can also create challenges.’ 

The analysis of security-related officials is that different types of challenges may appear even after the counting of votes in the election to be held under different circumstances. "As there is a possibility of not accepting the other's victory, an environment of dialogue, coordination and trust should be created between both sides from now on," said a security official.

Joint Secretary Anand Kafle, who is also the head of the Peace and Security Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs, informed that a security plan has been prepared based on the experience and lessons learned from past elections to conduct the February 21 election in a free, credible, fair and fear-free environment. "The Integrated Security Plan for the Election of Members of the House of Representatives, 2082 has already entered the implementation phase by all four security agencies and the District Administration Office," he said. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sushila Karki held discussions with representatives of political parties registered with the Election Commission on Wednesday. During the meeting, the parties stressed the need to create a fear-free environment for the upcoming election, expressing concern over the Simara incident.