Nepal police arrests agitating Bhutanese including a journo

Kathmandu, July 24: Nepal police arrested 16 agitating Bhutanese from the SAARC secretariat on July 24 who were demonstrating against the UNHCR decision of resettling 16 vulnarable Bhutanese in Canada and the US. Police also arrested teh Special Correspondent of the Bhutan News Service and The Bhutan Reporter monthly Thakur P Mishra who was collecting news on the spot.

According to Mishra, seven out of 16, including at least six women, were kept in Kamalpokhari  Ward Police Station and nine others were kept in Durbarmarg Ward Police Station. The agitators who staged protest in front of the SAARC gate were forcefully draged onto police van using excessiveforce. 

They chanted anti-UNHCR slogans even after they were arrested. Majority of them are reported to have been victim of police torture while arresting. Police at Kamalpokhari told Bhim Bahadur Adhikari, who has severe chest pain due to police using excessive force, to get admision in hospital on his own effort.

Meanwhile, issuing press statement Association of Press Freedom Activists (APFA) Bhutan has strongly condemned police repression on peaceful protest. APFA has sought serious attention of the Nepal government for the arrest of the demonstrators along with it's Central Committee member Thakur P Mishra. The association  also urged the Nepal government not to intervene on peaceful protest programs in the future.

The arrested Bhutanese were later released in the evening on the same day.

Earlier, Nepal police arrested 14 refugees from the same spot and were released later.

Participants staging indefinite sit-in protest in front of the SAARC secretariat and the UN office since June 2 have complained Bhutan News Service that currently there are no one to lead the protest. Tek Nath Rizal is in Pokhara for his health treatment while other leaders are out of Kathmandu. Bhutan News Service