KATHMANDU, FEB 24 -
The Baburam Bhattarai-led government, which has repeatedly vowed to adopt a “zero tolerance” policy on corruption, has arrested four anti-corruption campaigners.
Pressure exerted from the government to the Chief District Officer led to the arrest of four campaigners, who were on a fast-unto-death in front of the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), on Friday. As the national anti-corruption body did not expedite an investigation into a corruption complaint filed four years ago, the campaigners, displaced from their homes in Mahottari for raising their voice against the misuse of funds meant for local bodies, had planned to launch a fast-unto-death before the CIAA.
The campaigners had filed a complaint against the Banauli Damauli and Loharpatti VDCs at the CIAA, claiming that the concerned VDC secretaries had misused millions of rupees allocated for local bodies. Ram Ekwal Yadav of Banauli Damauli VDC is accused of embezzling Rs 1.9 million while Shatrughan Mishra, secretary of Lahapatti VDC, has been charged with misusing Rs 7 million. After being held for two days in custody, police asked the campaigners to leave on Saturday night but they refused to do so saying they had no place to go. They have planned to continue their death fast at Shanti Batika, Ratnapark, from Sunday.
“We came to know that we were detained for such a long time upon instructions from the government. The police and the CDO just carried out the order,” said Shyam Lal Sah, one of the detainees. Along with Sah, Sharada Bhusal Jha, Sangita Thapa and Binod Mandal are currently at the Kamalpokhari police station.
Well-wishers, anti-corruption activists and human rights defenders thronged the police station on Friday and Saturday to express solidarity with their cause. However, police did not allow visitors to speak with the detainees and even barred journalists from conducting interviews or taking pictures, said Sah.
Kathmandu Chief District Officer Chudamani Sharma said that the campaigners were arrested for affecting the daily affairs of the CIAA. “The CIAA alone cannot control corruption. It is up to the stakeholders, including civil servants, the police administration and civil society members to defy corruption,” said Sharma.
However, he said that such protests could further jeopardise the current political transition. The campaigners had planned to stage a fast-onto-death upon the release of the four and were ready to set up a tent at Shanti Batika. However, police sabotaged their plans by seizing the tent and tearing it up. According to Sah, police also manhandled a dozen campaigners. “We rented the tent so the tent house has already started bugging us for its return. The rent of the tent house is also increasing, together with the added refurbishing costs.” said Sah. Police have refused to give back the tent.
Although detained, the campaigners haven’t been diverted from their protest. While campaign head Sharada Bhusal has been on a continuous fast, other campaigners have opted for a relay fast at the police station itself.
However, campaigners claimed that the police at the station were helpful. “We are sleeping on two mattresses—one provided by the police and the other brought in by a well-wisher,” said Sah. The campaigners’ demands also include a probe into the misuse of local funds in other Tarai districts. The Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development had forwarded corruption cases of Saptari and Dhanusha districts to the CIAA a few months back. A preliminary investigation had concluded that Rs 300 million of the development budget allocated to 10 VDCs in Dhanusha had been misused while the amount was Rs 380 million in Saptari.
The same group of campaigners had organised a fast-unto-death some four years ago, demanding a probe into the misuse of local funds in Jaleshwor, Mahottari. However, the protest ended after a team of officials led by then Secretary Trilochan Uprety assured them of investigation into the matter.
The anti-graft campaigners also claimed that they, along with their supporters Lalan Sah and Santosh Sah, both residents of Banauli Damauli VDC, had been receiving death threats for publicising the irregularities of the VDC secretaries.
Posted on: 2013-02-24 08:40
No comments:
Post a Comment