Maoist activists have intensified their efforts to stop relocation of police posts in several parts of the country. A day after the Maoists obstructed the initiatives to relocate police posts that were displaced in the past due to conflict in Beltari of Nawalparasi district, their activists in Rupandehi district captured the police post in Dhakdhai on Thursday and booted out the policemen who had been posted there only six days ago.
In Dhakdhai, reports say that the Maoists brought a number of common people from around the area and made them to demonstrate while they resorted to vandalism and threw out bedding and other stuffs belonging to policemen.
According to Kantipur daily, Maoists forced people from Simarhawa, Amarhawa, Barahawa, Padamwa, Mainihawa, Pakadbhindi as well as other villages like Uttar Devadaha, Kerbani and Makahar in the vicinity of 10 kilometer from the area to participate in the demonstration. Women and children were also among the people. Many of them said they had come out of curiosity to watch the incident.
The Maoists forced 18 policemen led by sub-inspector Shambhu Chaudhary out of the post. Chaudhary later said that the Maoists might be working under guidance of certain elements because the establishment of police post had affected smuggling in the area.
In Nawalparasi, too, the Maoists warned the policemen to return from recently relocated Sunawal post. Immediately after the Maoists went away, local village women descended on the police post and requested them not to shift from there.
In districts like Sindhupalchowk, Kavre and Sankhuwasabha also the Maoists have started obstructing the relocation of police post. Similar campaigns have been reported from far-western districts like Doti, Kanchanpur and Achham.
The Maoists have claimed that they would not allow police post relocation till interim government including them is formed.
Local political party leaders and civil society have termed this campaign of Maoists as violation of peace agreements.
In fact, the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) signed on November 21 by the government and the Maoists also agrees that the task of carrying out day-to-day law and order situation will be given to Nepal Police and Armed Police Force. "Nepal Police and Armed Police force shall continue to work for maintaining peace and investigation into the criminal activities as per the spirit and content of the peace agreement and prevailing laws," the agreement states.
Umesh Mainali, secretary at the Home Ministry, also says that the recent efforts by the government to relocate police posts was guided by this very peace agreement and as per the demands made by local people.
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