Industrialist released Kidnapping still a mystery

Bikas Thapa

BIRATNAGAR, March 7 : Confusions surrounding the whereabouts of Tulsiram Agrawal, a local industrialist, came to a dramatic end late Thursday after an exhausted Agrawal arrived in his hometown via Birgunj, another industrial town near the Nepal-India border in central region.

A frail and pale Agrawal showed up in the town at about 7 p.m. Thursday evening. He was accompanied by the chief of the Eastern Regional Police Office, DIG (Deputy Superintendent of Police), Rajendra Bahadur Singh.

He was kidnapped by an armed group of Indians from this bordering town 41 days ago and whisked towards India via nearby Islampur border point on a vehicle bearing Indian registration number plate. He was last seen loitering around Biratnagar early in the morning on January 26.

Soon after he reached his house premises, an overwhelmed Agrawal burst into tears and hugged his family members one by one, who were celebrating his homecoming with happy tears. He refused to speak with reporters.

As the crowd of journalists, industrialists and locals from Biratnagar and nearby Indian towns looked at him curiously, Agrawal quietly entered his house.

DIG Singh also refused to make specific comments on how the industrialist got released. When quizzed by journalists, he only said, "I am not yet supposed to make any comments."

He was talking to journalists at his office earlier on the day, but suddenly left his room after receiving some information.

Agrawal’s brother Jagadish said the family members came to know about his release at about 1 p.m. Thursday afternoon. The police informed the family about the release over telephone after Agrawal showed up in the industrial town of Birgunj.

The dramatic release came two days after a few lawmakers of the main opposition CPN-UML thundered in the House of Representatives demanding Agrawal’s release and blamed a former Nepali Congress member, Umesh Giri, for his kidnapping. They went on to accuse Home Minister Khum Bahadur Khadka of providing shelter to Giri.

Home Minister Khadka could not be reached for comments in the capital late Thursday night, neither was Home Secretary Sri Kant Regmi available over the telephone.

On Monday, the Nepal Police informed about its request to the INTERPOL (International Police) to help arrest Giri, who it suspected was behind the disappearance of Agrawal. The police also claimed to have found evidences of Giri’s involvement.

"My brother has returned home, and I thank the high officials of Nepal and India," a relieved Agrawal’s brother Jagadish said at his house premises. "Either DIG sahab knows or the government; I don’t know anything about his release."

He also revealed that DIG Singh had assured him to get Agrawal released, and added, "Subsequently, our family had moved to Birgunj" to receive him.

Businessmen and industrialists of the town expressed happiness and thanked all the concerned authorities for getting him back. Sushil Dhanawat, an industrialist, lauded efforts put by the security forces.

Said another businessman, Shankhar Lal Agrawal, "We don’t want the repeat of such an incident in future. And we would like to thank all those, who helped our friend return home safe and sound."

The two business leaders had put intense pressure on the government to get Agrawal released and had even fixed a deadline for his release, warning to launch a series of agitation programmes.

Results of over 86,000 teachers still in limbo

Post Report

KATHMANDU, March 7 : The publication of the belated results of a country-wide selection test conducted for over 86,000 teachers some six years ago has been put off further following the delay in the meeting of the Selection Committee.

The Selection Committee has been constituted but no meeting has ever taken place to form a three-member Teachers’ Service Commission, which has impeded the early declaration of the results, pending for more than six years, government officials said.

"The Council of Ministers has already recommended the formation of the Commission but the Selection Committee has not sat down for the meeting," said Yuba Raj Pandey, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Education and Sports.

No results will be published before the formation of the three-member Teachers’ Service Commission, he said adding, "it might take another month."

The Council of Ministers, which sat for a meeting in the last week of February authorized the formation of the Selection Committee, which comprises of Chairman of the National Planning Commission, Vice-Chancellor of Tribhuvan University and Secretary of the Ministry of Education and Sports.

The Selection Committee headed by the National Planning Commission is to appoint a three-member Teachers’ Service Commission, which is authorised to announce the teachers’ results officially.

The results could be further delayed in the absence of the meeting of the Selection Committee, which is further required to appoint a three-member Teachers’ Service Commission. The newly passed Act on education has revamped the National Teacher’s Service Commission and has called for the constitution of a new one.

Sources at the Ministry of Education and Sports said that the publication of the results has been delayed due to the non-existence of the Teachers’ Service Commission-proposed apex body solely authorised to publish the results pending over six years.

The exams were conducted six years ago for the 14,397 posts lying vacant at the higher secondary, secondary and the primary schools.

At the higher secondary level, there are a total of 7,482 teaching posts vacant in the five development zones-1,840 for the Eastern Development Zone, 1,525 for the Central, 2,334 for the Western, 944 for the Mid-Western and 839 for the Far-Western Zone.

The vacancy announced for the primary-level teaching posts numbered 6,915.

Whereabouts of journo sought

Post Report

KATHMANDU, March 7 : A member of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has made an inquiry with the Ministry of Defence and Police Headquarters, seeking information about the possible whereabouts of Gopal Budhathoki, editor of "Sanghu", a vernacular weekly.

In a press statement issued here, NHRC member Prof Kapil Shrestha said, "The commission has received information about the alleged kidnapping and possible disappearance of Budhathoki". The commission has requested these agencies of the state, to make notification to the commission about his whereabouts, the current status within three days, whether he is in custody or not, in accordance with the Article 11(2) of the Human Rights Commission Act, 1997.

The commission has condemned any act of intimidation, kidnapping or unlawful detention of journalists or citizens by any agency or individuals, be it state or non state, which might set dangerous precedent, causing negative backlash against democracy, human rights and freedom of expression.

Oppn disrupt House over PM’s remarks

Post Report

KATHMANDU, March 7 : Opposition communist lawmakers today disrupted the proceedings of the House of Representatives for more than an hour protesting Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba’s alleged comments on constitutional amendment.

At a Face to Face programme with reporters yesterday, Deuba was quoted by several newspapers as saying: "Let us see whether there will be an amendment to the Constitution or not." Deuba had also hinted that amendment was possible only if there was "national consensus."

The remarks were construed by the main opposition CPN (UML) as the Prime Minister’s reluctance to amend the Constitution as demanded by the party, and also as promised by Deuba in the House on the day emergency rule was ratified by parliament last month. It was for this reason that CPN (UML) legislators created a ruckus in the House, disrupting proceedings for one and half hours today.

Opposition members alleged that the Prime Minister was conspiring against the opposition’s demand for constitutional amendment. The government is listening too much to "so-called constitutional experts" who have weakened the Prime Minister’s position, several opposition lawmakers charged.

After the ruckus dragged on, the situation was finally brought under control when Chief Whip of the ruling Nepali Congress Tek Bahadur Chokhyal took to the rostrum and clarified that Deuba’s remarks were "misinterpreted" by the press.

Opposition lawmakers had also demanded that the Prime Minister reply to allegations that his Home Minister Khum Bahadur Khadka was behind the kidnapping of a prominent Biratnagar-based industrialist. They had also demanded clarifications over various alleged wrong-doings by several ministers.

Chokhyal, the NC chief whip, replied on the PM’s behalf saying that all the answers would be given to the House after the ministers, who were all currently out of Kathmandu, returned to the capital.

Opposition lawmakers have alleged Minister for Works and Physical Planning, Chiranjivi Wagle wrongfully hired a consultant in the Road Improvement Project. Similarly, they allege that Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Arjun Jung Bahadur Singh is involved in gambling at a local casino.

Meanwhile, on behalf of the Home Minister who is out of Kathmandu, Minister of Finance Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat, today tabled the Terrorist and Destructive Activities ( Control and Punishment) Bill, 2001 in the House. Earlier, while imposing emergency rule in November, the government had brought the same document as a royal ordinance. The new Bill is a replacement of the ordinance.

Justifying the rationale behind the Bill, Minister Mahat said that the motive was not to curb the democratic rights of the people. " The objectives of the Bill is not to control over any ideology and belief but to fulfil the lack of adequate laws to curb on terrorist activities", Dr Mahat said.

Earlier, Chitra Bahadur KC of National People’s Front ( NPF), Lila Mani Pokharel of United People’s Front (UPFP and Narayan Man Bijukchhe of Nepal Workers and Peasant Party ( NWPP) presented separate proposals for rejecting the Bill.

They claimed that the Bill would end the achievements of 1990 popular movement, bring the human rights of the Nepalese people ensured by the Constitution to an end and make the security personnel tyrant. Minister Mahat rejected those arguments while tabling the Bill.

Six Maoists killed; couple shot dead by rebels

Post Report

KATHMANDU, March 7 : The Defence Ministry today said that security forces gunned down at least six Maoists in separate incidents in three districts of the Mid-Western region in the last 12 hours.

Issuing a press statement here today, the Ministry said that two rebels were killed in Chhinchu VDC of Surkhet and another was shot dead in Talpokhari of Dailekh district on Wednesday. Two more rebels were shot dead in Baniyabhar area while another one was killed by the soldiers of the Royal Nepal Army (RNA) in Patabhar area of Bardiya district on Thursday morning. The Ministry said the security forces recovered cache of arms from the encounter sites.

Meanwhile, our reporter in Surkhet said quoting local security officials, that the two rebels killed in Chhinchu were senior-most rebel leaders. They have been identified as Chakra Bahadur Budha who was militia commander of Area No 3 of the district and Bibek Chaudhary who was a platoon section commander of the Maoist organisation.

The Surkhet District Police Office said five security personnel, including a soldier, were also injured, one of them seriously, in the encounters.

The seriously injured policeman, Khem Bahadur Dangi of the Armed Police Force, was airlifted to Kathmandu for treatment today morning while the rest are undergoing treatment in a Surkhet hospital.

Police said a 13-year-old boy, Hemraj Khadka, who was staying in his home, was injured in the crossfire at Madanechaur of Chhinchu VDC. The boy was rushed to the Surkhet hospital for treatment.

According to the Ministry, rebel Maoists on Wednesday killed a couple—Nagendra Bahadur Thapa, 55, and his wife Bhadrakali Thapa, 42, of Pala VDC-2 in Baglung district. The rebels also wounded two others in the same VDC yesterday.

The last rites of the deceased couple were performed on the banks of the Kaligandaki River at Maldhunga. Minister of State for Home, Devendra Raj Kandel, was also present during the funeral procession. Locals suspect that the rebels must have killed the couple to take revenge for the death of a Maoist cadre last year. The rebels also abducted Lal Bahadur Thapa, a local teacher, of the same VDC.

The statement said that the bomb-disposal squads of the Royal Nepal Army on Wednesday defused two crude bombs hung by the rebels over two suspension bridges in the Rijbang areas of Rolpa district.

Meanwhile, a report from eastern hill district of Khotang stated that the rebels on Monday set ablaze six office buildings of an area police station at Khotang bazaar, which was formerly the district headquarters. The rebels also set other buildings of the area administration office and a branch office of the state-owned Rastriya Banijya Bank on fire.

Local authorities said property equivalent to Rs. 10 million was reduced to a cinder. The site of the incident is about 50 kilometres south-east of the district headquarters of Diktel. Around 100 policemen stationed at the station were called back to Doktel last week for security reasons.

Women’s Commission formed

Post Report

KATHMANDU, March 7 : Long after much hue-and-cry from the women’s rights activists, the government on the eve of the International Women’s Day decided to constitute an eight-member high-level women’s commission to redress the pertaining women’s issues.

The cabinet constituted the National Women’s Commission under the convenorship of noted women’s rights activist, Dr Durga Pokharel. Other members of the commission are Uma Karki and Mahalaxmi (Dina) Upadhyay from the ruling Congress.

Similarly, Sita Giri and Brinda Gautam from the main opposition CPN-UML, Pratibha Rana from the Rastriya Prajatantra Party and Amrita Agrahari from the Nepal Sadbhavana Party have been appointed as the commission members. The cabinet meeting also appointed Laxmi Rai as the Member-Secretary of the commission.

Cabinet sources said the commission is not autonomous and is under the Ministry of Women, Children, and Social Welfare. The source also added the commission would slowly be made autonomous.

Source also said that commission will be performing advocacy and pleading jobs. The women activists have taken it as a significant achievement. The government has tried to represent the entire national parties’ including two factions of the ruling party but the women activists outside the political parties are deprived of participation.

Source said that all those out side the political parties would also be included once the commission gets its autonomy and be complete.

Though the terms of reference have still some confusion, the commission will address the issues related to rape, domestic violence, trafficking, battering, child marriage and polygamy among others.

The women rights activists have been demanding for a commission working as an independent entity without entertaining any interference from the Ministry.

Nepali women have little reason to celebrate

By Tashi Dolma Thinley

KATHMANDU, March 7 : Like elsewhere in the world, thousands of women in Nepal, too, are bracing to observe International Women’s Day, Friday. Preparations are already underway to celebrate the day with various programmes calling for gender equality, better reproductive health care facilities, besides scores of other rights.

But while they are at it, experts have begun to ponder and raise such questions: Does the present status of Nepali women really call for celebration? Shouldn’t the government and the non-governmental organisations work towards ensuring the Nepali women their basic human rights—such as access to health care and education, to name a few?

"We don’t have good reasons to celebrate," laments Advocate Sapana Malla Pradhan. "A Nepali woman continues to bear the brunt of our own values and systems. Everything from education to health, property and law discriminate women."

Nepal is one of the very few countries in the world—and the only one in South Asia—where the life expectancy of women is lower than that of men—57.8 years as against 58.3 for men. Nepal’s maternal mortality rate of 539 women in 100,000 live births, 50 percent of which due to unsafe abortion, is considered as alarmingly high.

What this roughly means is that around 4,500 women die each year while giving births, either due to unsafe abortions or due to complicated deliveries.

More intriguing is the fact that around 3,000 girls are trafficked out of the country each year for prostitution. According to non-governmental estimates over 200,000 Nepali women are involved in sex trade in neighbouring India, alone.

With host of other problems that Nepalese women can address, experts on the eve of Women’s Day say that though they celebrate womanhood on this day, they have a lot to do and achieve in the coming days.

And even at the dawn of the new millennium, only 44.9 percent women are literate in the country.

Worse still. This Nepali year 2058 saw parliament’s Upper House refusing to pass the 11th amendment of the Muluki Aien that, for the first time in the country’s history, provided for parental property and abortion rights to women.

Sharada Sharma, the policy chief at the Family Planning Association of Nepal (FPAN), expresses concern over reproductive health of the woman. She says, "How can we celebrate womanhood when 99 percent of the Nepalese women still do not have rights over their own body?"

And activists were more concerned about the existing laws that "do little" to discourage incidents of rape or legalise abortion under certain circumstances. "Because of this we have more incidents of illegal and improper abortions in the capital and other cities," said Sharma.

Dr Bhola Rijal, however, had a different perspective towards women’s welfare. He emphasized the need for education. "Women should strongly demand education for all girl child, without which nothing can be better".

Advocate Malla said though Nepali women seem more stronger—both physically and mentally—than their western counterparts, it is high time, authorities ensured women their basic rights like education, reproductive health care and economic rights.