FNJ stages protest demanding Shah's whereabouts; three journos hurt in police action 
Police intervened into a dharna (sit-in) of journalists organised this afternoon in front of Singha Durbar to protest the lack of concern from the government and the Maoists in finding out the whereabouts of Bara-based journalist Birendra Shah, who was abducted a month ago.
Riot police intervened into the dhara soon after it started at the southern entrance of Singha Durbar at around 1:15 pm. They roughed up some of the protesting journalists and arrested at least 14 of them including vice-president of the Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) Gangadhar Parajuli and FNJ treasurer Hemanta Kafle.
The arrested journalists, who taken to the police office inside Singha Durbar, were released after an hour.
Deepak Rijal, a journalist with Nepal Samacharpatra daily, and two others were injured in the scuffle with the police. Rijal, who sustained severe injury in his head, has been admitted at Kathmadu Model Hospital, Bagbazaar
Enraged by police intervention, the journalists also chanted slogans against the government and demanded resignation of the Home Minister.
Addressing the protest programme, FNJ president Bishnu Nisthuri said the interim government and the legislature parliament established with the mandate of the people’s movement have failed to protect press freedom and check attacks on journalists. Nisthuri warned that the FNJ would intensify its protests across the country if Shah’s whereabouts were not disclosed immediately.
The FNJ launched the protest as Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and Maoist chairman Prachanda failed to live up to their commitment of making public the whereabouts of Shah within Saturday.
The FNJ has regretted that neither the government nor the Maoists have made public the whereabouts of Shah who was abducted by local Maoist leaders.
Last week, both Prime Minister Koirala and Prachanda had promised the family of Shah that they would make public his whereabouts within three days.
Meanwhile, one of the accused in Shah's abduction Kundan Faujdar has claimed that he was abducted under 'party instruction.' Talking to a local FM station of Bara, Gadhimai FM, Faujdar – who said he was hiding in India - claimed he had handed over Shah to Lal Bahadur Chaudhary, chief of the now dismantled district people's government, after abduction. "I don't know what they did to him afterwards," he added.
Various field missions including the parliamentary probe panel has accused Bara district Maoist leaders Chaudhary, Faujdar, Hareram Patel and Ram Ikbal Sahani of being involved in Shah's abduction.
Meanwhile, a Birgunj-based daily has reported that Shah could have been killed the very day he was abducted. Prateek daily of Birgunj has reported Chaudhary as having told journalists in unidentified location that Shah has already been killed. The report, however, is yet to be fully confirmed. nepalnews.com mk/sd Nov 04 07
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