KATHMANDU: Defying the Home Ministry’s warning of action, youths continued to demonstrate in various towns and cities, including in Kathmandu’s Basantapur alleging the government for failing to handle the coronavirus crisis.
The protestors have been demanding that the expenses incurred in the procurement of testing kits and medical goods be made transparent, RDT testing be stopped and the decision to impose additional tax be withdrawn.
People took to streets in different parts of the country, including Kathmandu, Birgunj, Nepalgunj, among other major cities on Friday.
The Home Ministry had on Thursday warned action against protestors for violating the lockdown.
In Basantapur today, youths demonstrated carrying placards with sarcastic slogans: “Sorry, the government you are trying to reach is current involved in corruption”, “Where is Rs 10 billion”? etc.
The Home Ministry has said that it been paying serious attention to the holding demonstrations, staging sit-ins and calling on the public to gather at certain places through social media.
It has been stated the concerned Chief District Officer can take action on a person for disobeying the lockdown order and the person can be fined and jailed under Section 3 of the Infectious Diseases Act 2020 BS.
Security personnel have used force to intervene in the demonstration.
Besides Kathmandu, peaceful demonstrations were held in Pokhara, Dharan, Chitwan, Birgunj and other parts of the country.
Police had employed water cannons and lobbed teargas on the protestors demonstrating in front of the Prime Minister’s Official residence in Baluwatar on Thursday.
Nepal is under lockdown imposed by the government to stem coronavirus pandemic. This is the biggest demonstration taken place ever since the country went into the lockdown on March 24.
Youths across the country have created a network ‘Enough is Enough’ on Facebook to coordinate demonstrations against the government’s apathy toward controlling the coronavirus pandemic in the country.
The protestors have also criticized the government for failing to manage quarantine facilities.
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