Singha Durbar no-go for journos
The Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) has condemned the government act of prohibiting journalist’s entry into Singhadurbar, likening it to former king Gyanendra’s regime.
The government has been barring journalists into the central government secretariat since Wednesday after it could not control the agitation of civil servants in the administrative centre. Singhadurbar is a zone restricted for any kind of protest.
“The government move to restrict journalists’ entry merely to stop media coverage of protesting staff on the premises is highly condemnable,” said FNJ Secretary Jagat Nepal. “The government is repeating the mistakes made by the royal regime earlier, denying press freedom and the people’s rights to information.”
Police have been denying scribes entry into Singhadurbar even if they produce identity cards issued by the Department of Information or the Parliament Secretariat at the order of the Home Ministry. On Wednesday evening, Constituent Assembly Chairman Subash Chandra Nembang directed security persons to allow journos into the seat of the government.
Meanwhile, police arrested around 166 civil servants from the Singhadurbar premises on the third consecutive day of their protest expressing dissatisfaction at the salary hike announced in the budget. The government employees have also demanded equality in allowance meant for procuring uniform. The allowance was Rs 10,000 for some ministries while it is Rs 7,500 for others.
“The civil servants were released after brief detention at the Mahendra Police Club,” said Deputy Superintendent of Police Dhiraj Pratap Singh of Metropolitan Police Range Hanumandhoka.
Posted on: 2011-07-22 08:58
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