Incident Reports

Opposition lawmakers resort to vandalism at CA‚ wrestle with marshals

2015-01-20

Bagmati, Kathmandu, Kathmandu

 Constituent Assembly Chairman Subas Chandra Nembang adjourned the CA meeting till 1 pm following a violent obstruciton by opposition to protest the formation of Questionnaire Committee to deal with the issues that the Constitutional-Political Dialogue and Consensus Committee (CPDCC) failed to resolve. As soon as Nembang invited Nepali Congress' chief whip Chinkaji Shrestha to the podium to put forth the proposal on formation of the Committee as per the CA Regulation, the lawmakers of UCPN-Maoist and Madhesi parties ran towards the chairman's seat and started wrestling with the marshals who tried to stop them. Some lawmakers were seen throwing punches at the marshals, and some trying to pull them down from the dais by the side of CA chairman's seat. Even after Nembang adjourning the CA meeting, some lawmakers continued throwing their tantrum. Some chanted slogans while some resorted to vandalism. Microphones and chairs were broken. Some marshals sustained bloody injuries while trying to prevent the aggressive lawmakers from reaching the dais. The injured, including one female, were rushed to the Bir Hospital. Earlier, CPDCC Chairman Baburam Bhattarai had spoken for about an hour responding to the queries and comments of lawmakers on the CPDC report. He protested the CA's Business Advisory Committee's decision to form the Questionnaire Committee, saying the new panel would not be able to resolve the crisis. He warned of the death of CA if it resorted to a majority in order to promulgate new constitution. "Let's not make another mistake by forming another committee... If I failed as the chairman of Dialogue Committee (CDCC), please remove me," he said. The CA meeting had started at around 00:30 am.
Details and Impacts
Violent / Non-violent Violent
Onesided / Twosided Onesided
Collective / Interpersonal Collective
Primary Form Vandalism
Weapons None
Primary Cause Contestation over Constitution and federal restructuring
Actor 1 - Number of people n/a
Actor 1 - Affiliations CPN (Maoist Center) and affiliated org
Actor 1 - Youth na
Actor 2 - Number of people n/a
Actor 2 - Affiliation (Target) Government and civil servants at central level
Actor 2 - Youth na
National/Online Media

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