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WITHOUT F EAR OR FAVOUR Nepal’s largest selling English daily Vol XXVIII No. 346 | 8 pages | Rs.5 O O Printed simultaneously in Kathmandu, Biratnagar, Bharatpur and Nepalgunj 27.8 C -1.5 C Friday, February 12, 2021 | 30-10-2077 Bhairahawa Jumla In Jhakri’s arrest, analysts see Oli government’s intent to curb free speech The leader was charged with crime against the state, before she was released, for her remarks on the President, but legal experts say police stretched the law a bit too far. TIKA R PRADHAN opponents. It shows that the Oli KATHMANDU, FEB 11 administration can go to any extent to attack opponents and critics, accord- A curb on freedom of expression is ing to them. one of the signs of creeping authori- Senior advocate Shambhu tarianism, and the KP Sharma Oli Thapa said that existing legal administration on Thursday tried to provisions do not allow authorities do exactly that, putting its penchant to arrest anyone just for making state- for ruling with the iron fist on full ments. display, once again. “Every citizen has the right to ques- Police arrested Ram Kumari Jhakri, tion authorities and people in power. a leader of the Nepal Communist Freedom of expression is guaranteed Party (Dahal-Nepal) faction, on the by our constitution,” Thapa told the charge of crime against the state Post. “Had people not questioned the for making remarks against the previous regimes, we would be under President. their rule even today.” Jhakri, who rose to prominence Article 17 (2) (a) (Right to freedom) during the 2006 people’s movement, of the Constitution of Nepal states had on January 29 compared President that “Every citizen shall have freedom Bidya Devi Bhandari with the former of opinion and expression.” queens, calling her “bada maharani” Jhakri’s arrest on Thursday for POST PHOTO: ANISH REGMI (her majesty). While speaking at a speaking against the President comes A sadhu plays ball with a child at Hanumandhoka Durbar Square in Kathmandu on Thursday. programme in Gorkha, Jhakri had at a time when the Oli government is also challenged Bhandari to leave planning to introduce a directive to Sheetal Niwas to contest elections. regulate the use of social media and She then went on to say that Bhandari social networking sites. This plan has could even go to Balkot—largely met with massive criticism for it understood as Prime Minister Oli’s intends to curb freedom of expression Covid-19 vaccination may have started, but health residence, because his house is locat- on social media. ed at Balkot, Bhaktapur. Outrage poured against Jhakri’s Legal experts and proponents of arrest also because the Oli adminis- free speech have described Jhakri’s tration over the years has been trying experts are concerned about new variants arrest as yet another move by the to curb freedom of expression. Oli government to threaten his >> Continued on page 2 With technology to detect new variants not available in the country and inoculation taking time to complete, doctors urge all to continue strictly following safety measures. ARJUN POUDEL had sent the swab samples to the the spike protein, is a cause for con- KATHMANDU, FEB 11 World Health Organisation’s collabo- cern, for it could mean people have rating centre in Hong Kong. been infected with the new variant of A sudden surge in new Covid-19 cases The Health Ministry confirmed in coronavirus. in Pokhara lately set off alarm bells January that three of the six people “Without spike protein, the corona- among health officials, as the new who had returned from the United virus cannot infect people,” Dibesh trend in the city was contrary to what Kingdom were infected with the new Karmacharya, chief executive officer was noticed in other areas, including virus variant. A senior official at the at BIOVAC Nepal Pvt Ltd, told the Kathmandu, where the number of Department of Health Services said Post. “If the polymerase chain reac- infections was coming down. that authorities in Pokhara were tion tests are failing to detect the spike Polymerase chain reaction tests con- asked to send swab samples of the proteins in the swab samples of the ducted on swab samples of those peo- infected people, who had come in con- infected people, there is a possibility ple who had come into contact with tact with the people who had returned that the virus may have undergone those who had returned from abroad from abroad, to Kathmandu. mutations or the virus could be of a showed they were positive for Covid-19 “They were confirmed to have been different variant.” but negative for “s-gene target”. infected with Covid-19, but we need to Spike protein is one of the key bio- In December, when lab reports conduct a whole-genome sequencing logical characteristics of SARS-CoV-2, showed “s-gene” negative for some test to confirm if they were infected which enables the virus to penetrate people who had returned from the by the new variant,” the official told host cells and cause infections. United Kingdom, the Health Ministry the Post requesting anonymity. Unlike bacterial and fungal patho- The swab samples from gens, which can survive without a host Pokhara were tested at the cell to infect, viruses cannot. They National Public Health have to get inside cells to replicate. Laboratory, one of the most Coronaviruses are surrounded by a advanced government-run labo- fatty membrane—called envelope— ratories in the country. whose composition is similar to But this lab also does not have human cells’ outer layering that is the technology to confirm the designed to ward off any invaders. mutations–especially on the In order to get into cells, the envel- spike protein. oped coronaviruses use proteins (or Experts say the s-gene target glycoproteins) to fuse their own mem- failure during polymerase chain brane to that of cells’ and take over reaction tests, which often hap- the cell. pens when there is a mutation on >> Continued on page 2 Khula Manch was closed in 2016 for six months. Plans are finally afoot to open it As the City plans to open it next week, it will reduce traffic snarls during political protests, and the open area will give people space to express themselves in a democratic society. year, it seems like political protests are going to be a frequent occurrence. So far political mass meetings, ever since Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli dissolved the House of Representatives on December 20, are being held on the streets to the dismay of the people as traffic chaos lasts the whole day. The latest of these shows of strength by the two factions of the warring Nepal Communist Party fac- tions took place on Wednesday. The Pushpa Kamal Dahal-Madav Kumar Nepal faction of the Nepal Communist Party bussed people from different parts of the country for a mass meet- POST PHOTO ing at Bhrikutimandap. Earlier in the Political parties are holding their rallies on the streets as this protest venue is full of vehicles. day, rallies began from different parts of the city to converge at the site of ANUP OJHA the three-decade old one-party the mass meeting where leaders KATHMANDU, FEB 11 panchayat rule took place in the addressed the gathering. spring. The 2006 people’s movement Getting from one place to another Spring has traditionally been the sea- that ultimately ended the centu- for the common people was a night- son of political protests in Nepal. The ries-old monarchy also took place in mare as traffic could hardly move. people’s movement of 1990 to abolish the spring. As spring approaches this >> Continued on page 2 C M Y K FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2021 | 02 NATIONAL Khula Manch was closed ... Bajhang’s revered Surma Sarovar dries up >> Continued from page 1 and conservationists in 2019 had Last Friday had been the turn of the organised a series of citizen-led pro- Oli faction of the party to hold a mass grammes with a slogan ‘Occupy Some Hindu devotees see it as a bad omen but scientists say the phenomenon could be explained with a study. meeting. The assembly was held at Tundikhel’, to regain the open space Durbar Marg and public buses were of Tundikhel and one of the demands not even allowed inside the Ring Road had been to make Khula Manch free of for the day. encroachment. According to the Metropolitan But Kathmandu Metropolitan City Traffic Police Division if only the Mayor Bidya Sundar Shakya had dis- political parties have their mass gath- missed the citizen-led movement as erings in Khula Manch, nearly 40 per- political propaganda started by some cent of traffic jams in Kathmandu can individuals to gain political favour. be controlled. “Ever since Khula Manch came But since 2016 the historic Khula under the KMC’s supervision it has Manch, where leaders like Bishwesor limited people’s interaction with the Prasad Koirala, Ganesh Man Singh, space,” said Shrestha. “We see KMC’s Man Mohan Adhikari and Madan carelessness and indifference in all Bhandari held the masses spellbound issues including Kamal Pokhari, Rani with their orations, has been a dump- Pokhari, and even Khula Manch--they ing ground for construction materials have been creating one issue after for the extension of Bir Hospital and another, and we don’t have enough the reconstruction of Durbar High people pointing this out to them.” School. Another conservationist Alok “That space was never meant to be Siddhi Tuladhar who has long been used for stocking building materials,” fighting to preserve the cultural herit- said Birendra Bhakta Shrestha, for- age and one of the leading campaign- mer politician turned cultural activ- ers of ‘Occupy Tundikhel’ welcomed POST COURTESY: KRISHNA BOHARA ist.

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