MP Bimala Rai’s question – Does police has right to shut the mouths of citizens?

KATHMANDU: The issue of police gagging three youths while protesting against Prime Minister ‘Prachanda’ was raised in the National Assembly on Wednesday. Bimala Paudyal Rai of the CPN-UML raised the issue.

Addressing the Parliament meeting, she said – ‘Some young people are trying to speak and some police forcefully punched their mouths and dragged them into the car by cutting their necks and throwing them around. Since yesterday, the audio and visual material has been coming in some media. Why did this happen, what were these young people trying to say. And the police did such an excess. The constitution has given all citizens the right to speak freely and to hold opinions. Whether the police can silence the speaker or not. And whether the Ministry of Home Affairs has punished the police who do this. I want to draw the attention of the Ministry of Home Affairs on this matter and I also demand an answer in this issue.’

When some young people attempted to speak with Prime Minister Prachanda, who was on his way to a program commemorating the Eradication of Caste Discrimination Day, the police prevented them from doing so and they chanted anti-Prime Minister slogans. The police gagged and threw the sloganeering youth into the van.