Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala's said, Maoist Chairman Prachanda has agreed to reinstate police posts that were dislodged during the insurgency. However, the Maoist cadres torched a re-established police post at Rajahar in Nawalparasi district.
Five policemen including Sub Inspector Tek Bahadur Kunwar were injured when the Maoist attacked the Rajahar Police Post on Friday and thrashed unarmed police team.
The condition of Kunwar, is reported critical. His head and face was damaged in the attack. The other injured policemen are undergoing treatment at a local hospital.
After beating the policemen severely, the Maoists torched the post that was just reinstated.
PM Koirala is at his hometown Biratnagar. He claimed Friday morning that the Maoist Chairman Prachanda, on telephone, had agreed to return of the police posts everywhere in the country.
However, earlier today, the Maoists had blocked the Mahendra Highway in order to pressure for the return of the police team. The Maoists also burned tyres and chanted anti-government slogans. According to them police post was reinstated against the Government-Maoist Peace agreement.
But a political observer can never be positive about a situation without police posts before Constituent Assembly election countdown begins. At least, the primary requirements for the CA election in mid-June 2007 have to be reestablishment of the police posts in all VDCs of Nepal.
Police posts are necessary to update voter lists and bring normalcy and law and order. When the Maoists are against reestablishing police posts or the government units in the villages of Nepal a lot of questions arises.
Without law and order how can voter list be updated? Will the CA election be free and fair without any pressure? Will the people of Nepal be ready to go to the polls in spite of force and threat? In the real sense, can the election of the CA decide the fate of Nepali people given the law and order less situation that might continue during the election period? Can CA election be conducted at the present atmosphere?
All the international election monitoring teams like officials from the Carter Center must bear in mind that situation of Kathmandu may not reflect the total situation of the entire country. Right now also we can see law and order more effectively maintained in the capital and the surrounding areas. But always alarming reports are coming from outskirts.
