Local bodies closed down in protest of Minister Yadav's actions

The local bodies across the country remained closed on Thursday protesting 'harsh and unbecoming' action by Minister Matrika Yadav against a Local Development Officer (LDO).

Minister for Forest and Soil Conservation Matrika Yadav (File photo)

The Village Development Committees (VDCs), District Development Committees (DDCs) and municipalities were closed as per the decision of the union of civil servants and local bodies' employees.

Minister for Forest and Soil Conservation and a Maoist leader Yadav, on Monday, had locked up Lalitpur LDO Dundu Raj Ghimire inside a toilet in the Ministry for one and a half hour for 'violating his order for banning stone mining in Devichaur area.'

The employees have demanded resignation of Minister Yadav terming his action as 'inhuman and unlawful.'

Speaking at the Constituent Assembly (CA), on Wednesday, Minister Yadav defended his action saying that he wanted to 'show the official how it feels like when the environment is fouled up' by locking him 'inside a toilet.'

Meanwhile, local people of Lalitpur vandalised the District Forest Office and torched an effigy of Minister Yadav accusing him of unlawfully arresting one Giri Prasad Timilsina in his direct order.

The locals have accused that the Minister arrested and sent Timilsina - who is a district member of Nepali Congress (NC) - to Nakhu jail for 'encroaching forest land.'

"Can a person like a minister arrest people unlawfully? He has been arrested without fulfilling legal procedures in a direct violation of rule of law," said Khum Prasad Ghimire, president of NC of Lalitpur-1 constituency nepalnews.com sd Jun 19 08