Stones pelted at king’s convoy

RAAZ · **Stones pelted at king’s convoy -** 17-02-2007, 05:36 PM

KATHMANDU, Feb 16 - A small group of people pelted stones at King Gyanendra's convoy when he was returning after paying homage at Pahupatinath temple Friday evening. The King, while entering the temple, heard crude slogans against him for the first time from so close.

The King entered Pashupatinath temple at 6 pm and remained there till 7:30, as the situation outside was tense. People outside were chanting slogans against the monarch throughout his stay at the temple premises, and later pelted stones at his convoy.

Police baton charged and briefly arrested some protesters to control the situation.

A policeman said it was very difficult to control the situation as thousands of Hindu devotees were at the temple to worship.However, nobody was injured in the scuffle and the royal convoy also escaped any serious damage.

The King's visit to Pashupatinath temple today was low profile. Worshippers were not disturbed during the King's visit, and unlike in previous years, he visited the temple alone, without the queen, the crown prince and princess.

The Pashupati Area Development Trust said some 300,000 Hindu devotees from various parts of Nepal, India and other countries visited Pashupatinath this year.

"Due to bandas, unrest in the terai and other unfavorable conditions, the number of devotees decreased this year," said Trust publicity coordinator Yadav Chandra Sharma. The devotees performed various religious dances and other activities from early morning.

Some 300 social and religious organizations were actively engaged in providing their services to the pilgrims. Nearly 2,000 police, 1,200 Armed Police Force and 200 Nepal Army personnel were deployed outside the temple area for the security of the pilgrims.

Hindu devotees in other parts of the country also celebrated the festival. A report from Mahottari district said hundreds of pilgrims visited Jaleshwornath temple to worship Lord Shiva. According to our Palpa correspondent, hundreds of worshippers offered homage at the Siddababa temple on the Tansen-Butwal road section.

RAAZ

काठमाडौं, फागुन ४ - शिवरात्रिमा पशुपति मन्दिर दर्शन गर्न गएका राजा ज्ञानेन्द्रको कारगेडमा शुक्रबार सा“झ अज्ञात समूहले इ“टा प्रहार गरेको छ । दर्शनपछि मन्दिरको पश्चिम ढोकाबाट पैदल फर्किएर गाडी चढेलगत्तै उत्तरतर्फो कैलाश डा“डाबाट इ“टा हानिएको थियो । गाडी अघि बढेपछि अन्ततिरबाट पनि थप इ“टा हानिएका थिए । तीन ठाउ“मा हानिएका दर्जनौं राजा चढेको सहित कारगेडका सबै गाडीमा इ“टा लागेको थियो । राजा आफैंले हा“केको गाडीलाई सयौं सुरक्षाकर्मीले पैदल घेरा हाली गौशालासम्म निकालेका थिए ।

राजा मन्दिर पस्ने क्रममा पनि राजसंस्थाविरुद्ध नाराबाजी भएको थियो । नारा जुलुस र सडक अवरोधका कारण राजा निर्धारित समयभन्दा झन्डै ४५ मिनेट ढिलो फिर्ता भएका थिए । राजसंस्थाको विरोधमा नाराबाजी गरिरहेको समूहलाई सुरक्षाकर्मीले लखेटेर राजालाई मन्दिर पुर्*याएका थिए । त्यही समूह राजा फिर्ता हुने सडक अवरोध गर्दै नारा जुलुस लगाउन थालेपछि स्थिति तनावपर्ूण्ा भएको थियो । सवारी सम्बद्ध एक सुरक्षा अधिकृतका अनुसार सवारी फिर्ता हुन रुट र्एलर्ट गराइए पनि तनाव जारी रहेकाले पा“चौं प्रयाससम्म पनि सवारी चलाउन सकिएको थिएन । गुहेश्वरी मन्दिर दर्शन गरी सवा ६ बजे पशुपति प्रवेश गरेका राजालाई सुरक्षाकर्मीले पौने ८ बजे मात्र निकाल्न सकेका थिए । भीड नियन्त्रण गर्न नेपाल प्रहरी, सशस्त्र र सैनिक प्रहरी ठूलो मात्रामा परिचालन गरिएको थियो ।

'राजा मन्दिर प्रवेश गर्नुअघि नै सवारी रुटमा आपत्तिजनक नारा र जुलुस लागिरहेको थियो,' काठमाडौं प्रहरी प्रमुख ढकबहादुर कार्कीले भने- 'हामीले सवारी हुनुभन्दा केही समयअघि नै तीन स्थानमा बल प्रयोग गरी पर््रदर्शनकारीलाई निकै पर पुर्*याएका थियौं ।'

त्यसैक्रममा बत्ती गएपछि उक्त समूहले अ“ध्यारोमा इ“टा प्रहार गर्न थालेको थियो । प्रहरीका अनुसार इ“टा लागी डीएसपी अजय भट्टर्राई घाइते भएका छन् । महानगरीय प्रमुख आयुक्त दीपक थाङदेन, काठमाडौं प्रहरी प्रमुख कार्कीलगायतका दर्जनौं प्रहरीका गाडीहरू क्षत्रि्रस्त भएका छन् । ढुंगा हान्दै गरेका १७ वषर्ीय रोशन खरेललाई प्रहरीले पक्राउ गरेको छ । खरेल धुम्बाराहीस्थित इन्साइड भिजन स्कुलका कक्षा १० का विद्यार्थी हुन् ।

पानीमा भिज्दै लामो समयदेखि लाइन बसेका भक्तजनहरूले पनि बत्ती गएपछि नाराबाजी गर्ने समूहलाई आक्रोशित हु“दै साथ दिएका थिए । राजाले भित्र मन्दिरमा पूजा गरेको समयमा अन्य र्सवसाधारणलाई रोकिएकाले उनीहरू करिब डेढ घन्टा लाइनमै बस्नुपरेको थियो ।

अघिल्ला वर्षरूमा शिवरात्रिका अवसरमा राजदम्पतीसहित राजपरिवारका अन्य सदस्यहरू समेत जाने प्रचलन रहे पनि शुक्रबार राजामात्रै पशुपति गएका थिए । पर्यटनमन्त्री प्रदीप ज्ञवालीले पशुपतिनाथको दर्शन गरी राजा फिर्ता हुने क्रममा बत्ती गएको मौका पारी अभद्र व्यवहार भएको भन्दै त्यसप्रति खेद व्यक्त गरेका छन् ।

RAAZ · **Nepal government says sorry for attack on king -** 18-02-2007, 02:32 PM

Expressing regret for the attack on King Gyanendra during his public appearance Friday, Nepal's government said it had formed a committee to probe the incident.

'The government of Nepal expresses regret over the indecent behaviour and the incident in which some people threw stones at His Majesty's motorcade,' the home ministry said in a statement published in Sunday's official media.

'The act, which took place during a religious festival, had a negative impact on the social and religious goodwill. We regret that the incident occurred despite the highest level of security arrangements.'

A senior home ministry official was given charge of a three-member team to investigate the attack and table its report within a week.

Pratap Kumar Pathak, joint secretary at the ministry, will investigate Friday's incident along with deputy director general of police Rabiraj Shrestha and senior superintendent at the National Investigation Department, Basanta Kumar Rai.

The government reaction came after King Gyanendra faced an attack by a stone-throwing mob Friday, when he arrived at Kathmandu's famed Pashupatinath temple to offer his prayers on the occasion of Shivratri. Pilgrims who had been standing in queues for hours, braving a chilly drizzle and then, a power outage, were enraged when they were blocked from entering the temple upon the king's arrival.

Though the temple officials had earlier said there would be no special privileges this year and others would be allowed to offer their prayers before the deity along with the royal family, though at different gates, they changed the plan at the last minute.

The changed decision caused the angry crowd to raise anti-king slogans and throw stones at the king, once revered as the incarnation of Hindu god Vishna. The ugly mood of the crowd forced security personnel to huddle the king into the temple for protection, where he had to remain for over half an hour.

However, even when his guards whisked the king off into his black Mercedes and drove away, the still angry crowd started hurling stones at the royal motorcade, forcing police to batoncharge them to bring the situation under control.

It was the first time that the king, who became the most unpopular monarch ever after seizing power through a coup two years ago, felt the lash of public fury at close range. Last year, he had a taste of the mounting anger against the royal family when unarmed protesters defied bullets and batons to keep up street protests for 19 days, forcing the monarch to step down.

The Shivratri attack came at a time a new opinion poll found only 42 percent still regarded King Gyanendra as the incarnation of Hindu god Vishnu, a drastic fall from the earlier 97 percent who had felt that way about the king's elder brother Birendra.

King Birendra, the most popular monarch in Nepal's Shah dynasty of kings, owed his popularity to his decision to revoke the ban on political parties and hand over power to an elected government after a pro-democracy movement in 1990.

However, the king and his entire family were killed in a shootout in the palace in 2001, blamed on his son, the then Crown Prince Dipendra.

flirt · 03:03 AM

I am also against that. He wen't there as a nepali, not as king. So Nepali should respect Nepali. If he is found guilty of killings then should be shot.

Khushboo · **Re: Stones pelted at king’s convoy -** 19-02-2007, 07:37 AM

I agree that he has done a lot of mistakes while he was in power but throwing stone at someone in the temple is a very shameful work.

Even if he is found guilty, let the Government decide the punishment he should get and the Nepalese people shouldnot take the laws and order in their hand.

So I am strictly against such incidence and hope in the future it is not repeated.

Sarensa · **Re: Stones pelted at king’s convoy -** 20-02-2007, 01:49 AM

It was a shameful act to throw stones at someone in a holy place on a holy day like Shivartri that too when the person is our king. What if he committed lot of crimes? He is still a respected person of the country and he still deserves some respect, though not the person but his post should be respected.

RAAZ · **Re: Stones pelted at king’s convoy -** 20-02-2007, 02:50 AM

I very much agree with you sarensa. Though not the person but the post needs to be respected. They can't illtreat him until he is proved guilty and taken out of the post.