APF Raid on IOM Hostel

xenoMED condemned the brutal and barbarian act of the Armed Police Force, physically injuring Medical Students after intruding IOM hostel at 9.45 PM on April 10, 2006.

We urge the unconditioned release of the detained medical students and doctors.

We wish the speedy recovery of the injured.



Here is the detail reporting of the incidence by Matiram Pun, MBBS Final Year, IOM

On 28 Chaitra 2062 (10 April, 2006) at around 9.45 PM, the police beat gatemen and the hostel warden (sir) with the butt of the gun and dragged them out of the hostel gate. Half a dozen of armed police entered hostel while many more stayed at the gate with their gun pointing towards the Hostel rooms. Some of the policemen were in civil dress as well, they were detectives, I guess. Police entered the Hostel from different sides and brutally manhandled two of my friends who were in the passage room. Santosh Kumar Dhungana, a final year MBBS student, has been admitted with the severe head injury. In similar manner police entered into A-Block and dragged students out of their room and beat them. Khem Narayan Pokhrel, BPH Second year, is hospitalized and is undergoing treatment. He has a depressed skull fracture and many soft tissue injuries too.

When police raided the hostel the gatekeeper (pale dai) made an announcement about the unsafe condition in the hostel and requested to safeguard ourselves. He announced that he and the warden were helpless. Seven of us managed to jump from the first floor of the “block A” building and ran towards the basic science building. We made a narrow escape and hid ourselves in the filthy ditch for hours before we were finally rescued by our friends at about 1:00 am. About two dozens of our friends, who were severely injured, were taken to Birendra Police Hospital that was over crowded; so they requested that they be taken to TUTH for the treatment, but were in vain. The injured were finally transferred to TUTH by their warden who faced a lot of hassle with the police, and are currently under going treatment.

Police raided twice more, but this time too did not entered Block-B and Block-C. At 12.00PM our friends went from door to door to check if any one was missing. When our friends rescued us from our hide out at around 1:00 am, we were very much relieved. We spent that whole night in anxiety and fear.

Originally Posted by Matiram Pun MBBS Final Yr. IOM

Chronological order of events at IOM

26 Chaitra 2062 (8 April, 2006)
As the agitation and curfews are going on in our country, IOM has been participating from the very first day of Curfew i.e. 26 Chaitra 2062 (8 April, 2006). We had organized a protest program on the day at 9.30 AM whereas Curfew was from 10 AM of that day. We were accompanied by Dr Sunder Mani Dixit, Dr Sharad Onta and other many human right activists as well as people from the civil society.

During the whole day, Dr Madhu Ghimire, Dr Sunder Mani Dixit, Dr Mahesh Maskey, Dr Bharat Pradhan, Dr Sudha Sharma (Current President of Nepal Medical Association) and Human right activists and people from Civil Society Padma Ratna Tuladhar, Daman Nath Dhungana, Kapil Shrestha and others were discussing in the Academic Building of IOM. Free Student Union of IOM provided lunch for them. They finally decided to break the curfew. Most of them were arrested along with IOM Student Leader Roshan Kumar Jha. They are now in Bhaktapur Duwakot and have been given the letter of three month’s detention (as we hear)!

27 Chaitra 2062 (9 April, 2006
We students from IOM organized a protest program against autocratic regime/monarch and with the demand of realeasing those who were detained the day before yesterday. On the very day at around 11.00AM 18 of the IOM students who were in Aprons along with FSU president Dr Bidur Dhakal were arrested. Remember that were protesting peacefully and were at the gate of TUTH (IOM). They are now in Police Academy, Maharajgunj and have been given letter for three months’ detention! We have been organizing peaceful protest programs with the demand of their release and against autocratic regime. On the day very evening we organized a Black Out and Torch Rally.

28 Chaitra 2062 (10 April, 2006): The evening Armed Police Force raided IOM Hostel
As usual we went on protesting and organizing the programs. We closed the OPD service of TUTH partially demanding our friends’ release. In the evening also we organized protest programs. Police fired three shells of tear gas one in A-Block of IOM Hostel, another in Medical Education Building and next in the Kanti Hospital. Two of our friends were badly beaten and arrested. They are in custody!

Our program went on lengthening and we finished at around 9.30 PM. At 9.45 PM police called our Hostel Warden and talked over the telephone. He was talking about releasing our friends but no sooner than he put the telephone armed police entered into IOM Hostel beating the students. I was in the Hostel gate corridor. I was the last to escape. The gatemen closed the gate and I got fraction of seconds to escape. I ran to C-Block and hided under the bed stead.

The police beat gatemen and warden sir with the butt of gun. They were thrown out of the gate of Hostel. Half a dozen of armed police entered hostel and others stayed at the gate with their gun pointing towards Hostel rooms. Some of the police were in civil dress as well, they were detectives. Police entered from different sides of Hostel. They found two of our friends at the passage room and beat severely. Santosh Kumar Dhungana, the final year MBBS student, has been admitted with the severe head injury. By the same way police entered into A-Block and dragged students out beating them. Khem Narayan Pokhrel, BPH Second year, is in hospital. He has depressed skull fracture other many soft tissue injury.

When police took one lot of students there was miking in the hostel announcing that hostel is raided and please save your life by Gateman. He also requested to escape. He announced he and warden are helpless. Seven of us from first floor of A-Block jumped down to the ground and ran to the basic science building. Police were coming from other side as well. We ran to the side from the ditch and went back of the building. We hided there with breath held.

Other many about two dozens of our friends were beaten. They had been taken to Birendra Police Hospital were they had no enough resources to treat. Our friends refused to take any treatments there. Police also said that they cannot treat others. By that time our hostel warden went there with TUTH’s ambulance (with the help of police stationed inside TUTH for medical legal purpose). They were taken back to TUTH and treat.

Police came twice and did not raid Block-B and Block-C. At 12.00PM our friends went on roll calling to know the status of all. We were, of course, went on missing along with many who were hiding. There went search campaign everywhere and at 1.00AM, our friends and hostel warden found us and brought us to hospital where every our friends were gathering.

Then I got involved with the photographs, emailing the news to Kantipur and meetings on what to do. We did homework for the next day. I was, among selected to decide about what to do, in the meeting up to 4.00 AM in the morning.

29 Chaitra 2062 (11 April, 2006)
We called emergency mass meeting of all the students of hostel at 6.30 AM and announced our programs and took opinions and feedback from our friends. We went on doing all the works of power point preparation, press release, all the hospital service closure and information for the press. We called on all the hospital and campus authorities about this. We organized press conference at 9.00 AM in TUTH Hospital Seminal Hall. At 11.00 AM, we organized protest rally and came out in the streets in Apron. At 12.00 AM, our teachers and TUTH staff organized a silence procession that went inside TUTH.

On the day evening, we are skeptic to stay in Hostel and planning to disperse in Hospital. Our arrested heard police talking: there are people still remaining in the hostel. I am in Dr Angel’s room. He picked me at 8.30 PM from IOM.

We have been regularly discussing about the issue, incident and future outcomes.

I will try my best to update.