Journalist, teachers injured on 26th day of protests at Baneshwor

A violent clash between security and agitating teachers’ protest left 26 individuals injured, including teachers, police officers, and a journalist. The Sunday clash was the worst scenario of the 25th day of the teachers’ protest going in Kathmandu.

The unrest unfolded when protesting teachers broke through a security barricade and attempted to enter the restricted area near New Baneshwor, the location of Nepal’s federal parliament building. Thousands of teachers, gathered from across the country, had been marching through the streets of Kathmandu when tensions escalated, leading to the breach of security lines.

The teachers’ protest which has been continued despite repeated assurances from the government that their concerns will be addressed. The protesters are calling for the formulation of a new school education act, which would replace the outdated law from the party-less Panchayat era. Teachers’ unions and associations contend that the government has failed to honor previous agreements signed with them on three separate occasions.

Among the injured was Sabina Karki, a reporter with Prime Television, who suffered serious injuries to her right eye after being struck by water from the cannon.

Media Action Nepal has condemned the police’s reckless and excessive use of force that gravely injured Prime Television reporter Sabina Karki during a teachers’ demonstration in Kathmandu today, emphasizing that security forces must refrain from using disproportionate force, especially in the presence of journalists performing their duties.

Karki, who sustained serious injuries to her eyes due to the violent dispersal of protesters, has been taken to Tilganga Eye Hospital for specialized treatment. Initially she was take to Civil Hospital in Baneshwor, which referred to the trauma center before being moved to Tilganga for critical care.

Eyewitness accounts and media report confirm that Karki’s injury was caused by the excessive use of a water cannon by police personnel. A video showing police officers carrying Karki from the protest site to a police vehicle has since gone viral on social media, drawing widespread public outrage.

Media Action Nepal’s executive director Laxman Datt Pant said that police should bar themselves from exercising excessive force and be cautious with the presence of media persons at protest sites. “This is another evidence of the failure of security forces in less than a month. On March 28, during a protest, journalist Suresh Rajak was burned alive,” he said. “We demand that the authorities cover Karki’s medical expenses until she fully recovers. Security forces must always remember to refrain from using excessive force.”