Nepal: Citizens Protest Over Govt's Mishandling Of COVID-19 Pandemic, Police Use Water Cannons, Batons For Dispersal

Citizens of Nepal staged a protest on June 9, alleging the government of inadequate handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Even when the lockdown has been in place since March 24, citizens claim that the government could have done better to avoid the current failing health care and looming economic losses in the country.

Hundreds of demonstrators, who have organised themselves under the "Down with Government's Incompetence: Wake up and Save Lives" campaign, gathered outside Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli's residence in Baluwatar at 10am on Tuesday.

According to The Kathmandu Post report, they are demanding the government for better quarantine conditions and expand the limited use of the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests.

The protesters raised questions over the government's inability to make proper use of the relief fund. They also demanded relief packages for daily wage workers, and remodeling of the lockdown strategies.

The KP Sharma Oli government has been criticised earlier as well for its response to the global outbreak. Despite the lockdown that has been imposed in the country for the last two months, the number of infections and fatalities continue to rise.

Protesters alleged that the government has not provided proper alternatives for makeshift quarantine facilities, some of which have turned into hotspots, and thousands of people continue to stay in the premises.

Calls for lifting the lockdown are also increasing, as many business owners are defying the orders of keeping the stores shut.

Many have also alleged that the government failed to address the plight of the marginalised section of the society, who are the worse-off in this pandemic.

Reportedly, the protesters maintained the norms of social distancing and wore masks. What started as a peaceful rally, soon turned into a havoc.

In order to disperse the crowd, the police opened water canons and used batons. Some of them were also taken into custody for violating the lockdown norms.

"We had requested the police to give us 15 more minutes to sit in protest when the police charged. This is an indication that the government is getting more intolerant," Rohit Malla Shakya, 43, a businessman said.

However, the police claimed that the protesters were blocking the road. They earlier tried to explain to them not to have a gathering of more than 25 people and requested dispersal. But when they stayed out, the police opened water cannons and used batons.

The images and videos of the protest and the police response have been widely circulated on social media platforms, and many called out the police for its disproportionate use of force.

Nepal recorded 323 new coronavirus cases in the last 24-hours, taking the total tally to 4,085, while the death toll has gone up to 15. As many as 584 patients have recovered.

The health authorities have so far conducted 106,303 tests to detect the coronavirus infection.

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