Nepal: Opposition obstructs house proceedings, demand probe in Sarlahi shootings

Nepal's main opposition parties, including the Nepali Congress and the Rastriya Janata Party Nepal on Tuesday obstructed a meeting of the Lower House demanding probe into two incidents in Sarlahi district last month, in which two people were killed.

Protests in Sarlahi district erupted after a 12-year-old boy, identified as Sarojnarayan Yadav, succumbed to death after drowning in a water-filled hole made by illegal sand extraction.

The opposition also raised concern over an encounter of a leader, identified as Kumar Paudel, belonging to the banned Communist Party of Nepal (CPN).

The opposition claimed it to be against the human rights conventions which Nepal had signed.

"This nation had approved over 22 International Conventions on Human Rights since 2045 BS in various period of time. But today it has been killing unarmed citizens in the name of encounter defying the human rights and evoking humanity, disrespecting the humanity killed Kumar Paudel," said Pushpa Bhusal, a parliamentarian from the Nepali Congress party.

She added that Paudel was tortured before he was shot and the incident was deemed as an encounter.

"The protest was organised demanding justice, asking the government to be sensitive, give attention to the public and ensure security and peace. The people had protested for the cause," Bhusal stressed.

The speaker of the lower house further granted time to the opposition members to speak after they stood up from their respective seats in protest.

Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa claimed that Paudel was mistakenly shot as the police had fired it on air because of differentiation in elevation. The police firing came as a retaliatory action after they were attacked by the cadres of the CPN, the minister said.

Following the obstruction over the proceedings of the house, the speaker finally adjourned the session for 15 minutes to mediate a dialogue between the parties. The next meeting of the house has been called on Wednesday.