At least one protestor was injured critically when the anti-MCC demonstrators tried to cross the prohibitory zone near the Federal Parliament Building in New Baneshwore on Thursday.
Hemraj Awasthi, 29, of Dadeldhura district, has been critically injured when stones pelted by the protestors hit him during a clash between police and the demonstrators Thursday afternoon.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Santosh Singh Rathour and spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police Office, Ranipokhari, said that Awasthi was not injured due to baton charge from police administration, but sustained serious head injury when the stones pelted at police hit him.
Awasthi is undergoing treatment at Annapurna Neuro Hospital, Babarmahal, after referral from the Trauma Centre Thursday evening.
Doctors have said that his condition is stable and the hospital has been preparing to conduct a surgery, SP Rathour said.
He said that no serious injury was reported on the side of police. Only demonstrators were injured when they pelted stones haphazardly, SP Rathour claimed.
Student unions affiliated to the ruling CPN (Maoist Centre) and CPN (Unified Socialist) and several other parties have been protesting in the streets after the tabling of MCC in the House of Representatives on Sunday.
Likewise, 12 demonstrators, including one woman were arrested on Thursday. They have been kept in Gaushala and Baneshwore police offices.
Police had to open 101 tear gas cells and use four tankers of water cannons to disperse the mob, he said.
The clash erupted when a group of demonstrators tried to cross the restricted zone and continued pelting stone at policemen. Police have also charged batons against the protestors.
“Their protest could not remain peaceful as they themselves first started pelting stones and tried to enter the prohibitory zone,” SP Rathour said.
Nepal Police Headquarters had deployed more than 2,400 police personnel in view of the protest in New Baneshwor area.
“We have mobilised over 2,400 security personnel in the Baneshwor area in view of the ongoing protests against the MCC project after protestors announced protests in different dates,” SP Rathour, said.
The MCC was on the schedule for discussion in principle today. However, today’s meeting was adjourned till Friday upon the order of the government.
SP Rathour said that 1,200 security personnel were deployed in the New Baneshwor area from the Metropolitan Police Range, Kathmandu, and additional 1,200 from the Police Headquarters directly.
Kathmandu Metropolitan Police Range’s Spokesperson and SP Dinesh Raj Mainali himself was in the field.
Along with Mainali, 14 DSPs of Kathmandu have been deployed in the field. The overall security is commanded by SSP Sudip Giri and chief of Metropolitan Police Range, Kathmandu, said SP Rathour.
Baneshwore Chowk from the south-north side and east to west side of the main junction of more than 400 metres has been declared a ‘prohibitory zone’.
Source : TRN,
