Attack on DLA leaders and activists shameful
While it is unacceptable in a democracy that peaceful protesters would be beaten up by the police, such incidents often take place in the country violating people's constitutional right. In the latest incident, on December 30, police attacked the leaders and activists of the Democratic Left Alliance (DLA), a combine of eight left parties, when they were marching peacefully towards the Prime Minister's Office to protest the last general elections which they claimed were marred by irregularities. In the attack, at least 31 people, including two senior leaders of the alliance, were injured.
We have seen such intolerant behaviour of the police during the 2018 Road Safety Movement and during the protests by the government primary school teachers, both of which were peaceful. It has almost become a norm for the police to rough up people who dare to voice their concerns about the running of the state or the issues that directly affect them. Beating up the protesters cannot be the first action the police should take. Although in this case, the police claimed that they were attacked by the protesters first, the activists of the left parties say otherwise. It is understandable that the police might not allow the protesters to pass a certain point of the road for security reasons. A reasonable distance between the protesters and the point of destination could have been negotiated.
In democracies around the world, people are allowed to protest for any reason in a peaceful manner, without the fear of being subject to police beating. Our government also needs to create such a democratic space for the public so that they can voice their concerns without facing such repercussions. It is high time the colonial legacy of using the police force to stop any kind of protest is abandoned for good.
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