51 people, including Indian, died in recent anti-government protest in Nepal: Police
Kathmandu (PTI): At least 51 people, including an Indian national, have died in the recent 'Gen Z' protest that erupted across Nepal against corruption and a ban on social media sites, police said on Friday.
Senior Superintendent of Police Ramesh Thapa, who is co-spokesperson for Nepal police, said the casualties include one Indian national, three policemen and other Nepali citizens, The Kathmandu Post newspaper reported.
At least 36 bodies are at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Maharajgunj, where post-mortems began on Friday, it said.
Police said 17 bodies were recovered from different parts of the country on Thursday and Friday.
At least 19, mostly students, were killed when police opened fire at the Parliament building in Kathmandu when the protests under the banner of Gen Z launched their agitation on Monday.
Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli quit on Tuesday shortly after hundreds of agitators entered his office demanding his resignation over the deaths during Monday’s protest. The ban on social media was lifted Monday night.
The violence continued even after Oli's resignation, with protesters setting fire to the Parliament, the President's Office, the PM's residence, government buildings, political parties' offices and homes of senior leaders.
Meanwhile, many of the bodies were cremated at Aryaghat of Pashupatinath Temple near the bank of Bagmatai river on Friday afternoon.
Nearly 1,700 people sustained injuries during the protests. Of them, around 1,000 have returned home after recovery, police said.
Nepal's police force is gradually resuming operations in the Kathmandu Valley, with police stations and posts that were vandalised or set ablaze slowly coming back into operation, officials said.
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Withdraw 'disrespectful' remark against Rahul Gandhi and apologise: Pilot asks Rijiju
Mumbai (PTI): Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Thursday hit out at Union minister Kiren Rijiju for passing a "disrespectful and inappropriate" remark against Rahul Gandhi, and asked him to apologise for it.
He was answering a query regarding Rijiju's reported statement in which he described Gandhi as the "most dangerous person" for India's security, and a purported video of a man claiming to be from Karni Sena issuing death threats to the Congress leader.
Addressing a press conference here, Pilot said, "When ordinary journalists criticise the government, they face FIRs and jail. But when threats are issued against the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha (Rahul Gandhi), there is silence. This shows the government's intention. LoP is a constitutional position. To describe him as a security threat is inappropriate and disrespectful. Even as such open threats are being made, the government is not taking any action."
"The statement 9against Gandhi) should be withdrawn and an apology should be issued," the Congress general secretary said, adding that it is the job of the LoP to seek accountability from the government and ask questions.
To a query on the plane crash in which Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar was killed on January 28, Pilot said, "I do not want to speculate. There should be a transparent, time-bound inquiry. If there are doubts, a high-level investigation should clarify facts."
When asked about the demand for leadership change in the opposition INDIA bloc, he said, "Leadership decisions are internal matters. The alliance worked remarkably well in the last Lok Sabha election. The gap in numbers between the INDIA bloc and the NDA was not very wide. We are working together strongly and will continue to do so."
The Congress has been helming the INDIA bloc, a coalition of Opposition parties formed before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections to counter the ruling BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). However, voices from disgruntled Congress members and those associated with the UPA dispensation suggested that the leadership of the opposition alliance should be given to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee or Tamil Nadu CM M K Stalin.
On Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Indian economy, Pilot said, "India is a major IT power. We have talent and capability. Many countries see India as a natural partner. But we must use our strengths wisely and not compromise our sovereignty under pressure."
"India should have the freedom to decide where to buy oil from. That is a sovereign decision," Pilot said.
On the issue of illegal migration, he said anybody staying illegally in India should be removed regardless of religion or caste.
"But this issue should not be politicised. If the border has been under control for 11 years, how did illegal immigrants enter? The government should provide data on how many people have been deported," he said.
"This government's intent and policies are anti-farmer and there is no accountability. The opposition will continue to demand answers from the government and stand with farmers and the people of India," he said.
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