2 people arrested in Nepal for showing black flags to PM Oli

Two Newar activists have been arrested in Nepal for showing black flags to Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli during an anti-government protest held here to demand scrapping of a controversial bill seeking to interfere with a centuries-old trust system integral to the Himalayan nation's cultural heritage.

The K P Sharma Oli-led Communist Party government tabled the Guthi Bill in Parliament last week to amend the Guthi Act and nationalise both public and private guthis or trusts and regulate all religious sites under a powerful commission.

Fearing that the government's move could jeopardise Sanatan Hindu tradition, the ethnic Newar community staged week-long protests demanding scrapping of the bill.

Following intense protests, the Nepal government Tuesday withdrew the controversial bill from Parliament, but the protestors are demanding scrapping of the bill.

Thousands of protestors - including Guthiyars or trustees, cultural experts, social activists, civil society leaders and people from Newar communities - participated in the rally organised at Maitighar Mandala near the Prime Minister's Office in the heart of Kathmandu.

Two Newar activists were arrested from Kathmandu on Wednesday as they showed black flags to Prime Minister Oli, police said.

While Oli reached the Land Revenue Office on the outskirts of Kathmandu to attend a programme, the protestors greeted him with black flags.

They were arrested immediately and handed over to the Metropolitan Police Circle in Kalimati, police said.

The system, known as "guthi", is rooted within the Newar community indigenous to the Kathmandu Valley.

It has a special role in maintaining temples and traditional public spaces and organising festivals and religious parades.

The protestors say the bill is a threat to the Nepal's centuries-old Sanatan Dharma and culture.

Nepal has over 2,000 public guthis under an independent umbrella body which currently oversees the trusts.

Guthis, usually led by families or specific communities, generate income from commonly owned lands.

The current government came to power after a resounding victory in the 2017 elections, winning a strong majority in both houses of Parliament and six of the seven provincial assemblies.