Nepali Times

Thousands rally for peace

The Brief
From the archive blog: The Brief

Thousands of people gathered in Basantapur Darbar Square on Friday morning for the peace rally organized by various human rights, civil society and professional organisations.

Even though the message of the peace rally was to demand the political parties to resolve their differences, the rally was charged with anger against the banda still being enforced by the Maoists.

During the impromptu march that followed the gathering, there were small skirmishes with the Maoists camped on various road intersections.

On Exhibition Road, the police fired a dozen teargas shells to separate the peace rally participants and the Maoists supporters.

Young Communist League members made a human chain in Sundhara to stop the peace rally from proceeding.

In the morning, Maoist supporters prevented groups of people in Bagbazar and Kupandole from attending the rally, the organisers said. In Kupandole, the situation was tense for a while following a small confrontation between the two groups.

Meanwhile, the United States has asked the Maoists to withdraw the strike which is on its sixth day today. “The Maoist-imposed strike in Nepal is creating serious hardships for the people of Nepal and the risk of dangerous confrontation is growing,” said Robert O. Blake, the US assistant secretary, Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, in a statement issued today.

PHOTOS: KIRAN PANDAY AND DAMBAR KRISHNA SHRESTHA[gallery columns="2"]

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Comments (Archive)

  • May

    Where are the so-called civil society leaders in today's rally? Where is Comrade Devendra Raj Pandey? Where is Comrade Sundar Mani Dixit? How can they face the public if they are so compromised on the side of violence and criminalism? These apologists for Maoists are worse than Maoists. The Maoists at least have an ideology, civil society aguwas as hollow opportunists. Thank you Maha Jodi and Ani Choying for showing the light, thank you for speaking out so eloquently with music and satire for ahimsa!!! Thank god we still have you.

  • Hermann

    Calling the Maoists "democrats"? Hahahahahahahaha. These are people who were so threatened by a mere peace rally they first tried to spread rumours via mass SMS that it was called off, then they started threatening the organisers, they vandalized the hotel of one of the sponsors, then they started spreading disinformation. When none of that worked, they attacked peace activists with iron rods in Kopundole, and then they assaulted them again after the rally in New Road, Durbar Marg and elsewhere. The Maoists are cowards. Madav Nepal may be a weak leader, but I prefer him to the Gestapos and Waffen SS of the Maoists.