Maoists place bombs in ten private schools in Kathmandu, two arrested
Those responsible are part of a Communist cell led by a fugitive Maoist leader. For some time, the group has extorted money from private schools. The bombs were placed against those who refuse to pay. Now parents do not want to send their children to school.
Kathmandu (AsiaNews) – Two young Communists and former Maoist guerrillas placed explosive devices in ten private schools in the Nepalese capital. Two bombs exploded; the other eight were defused. No one was injured.
The motivation appears to be criminal. According to police, the two had tried to extort money from the schools.
"The blast has sown terror the private education sector,” said Lacche Bahadur KC, president of the Private Schools Association. “We cannot run schools under the threat of terrorism”.
“If the government doesn’t take some serious action, we will hand over our schools to the government for security reasons.”
Nepal’s National Human Rights Commission has called on the government to take immediate action since the incident has breached students’ right to study in a secure and peaceful environment.
Issuing a press statement today, the Commission has urged all political parties to abide completely by their commitment that schools be treated as 'Zones of Peace'.
The blasts occurred yesterday. The two arrested were identified as Chandra Bahadur Tamang and Shankar Lakhe. Both stated that they belong to a sister organisation of a group called Young Communist Force and All Nepal Maoist Centre.
Kathmandu Metropolitan Police Division Chief Pratap Singh Thapa said that some of the suspects “are at large”.
“We found documents in the blast area and interrogated the arrested,” he added. “We found that both were former Maoist fighters. They learnt to make bombs during the Maoist insurgency” and “brought raw material for bomb making from India."
The investigation shows that Chandra Bahadur Tamang went to Malaysia to work, but returned to Nepal five years ago.
Both bombers are thought to belong to a cell led by former Maoist deputy commander Devendra Singh Mahat, who is currently on the run.
The police said that the terrorist act was criminal, not political. The group is known for targeting private schools to exhort money.
The schools were bombs were found yesterday had been subjected to extortion demands, but they refused to pay.
Now the parents of children attending the schools are terrified and refuse to send their children to school.
"We do not feel safe,” said School Guardian Association president Dharmaraj Devkota. “We ask the government to ensure our safety."
UNICEF’s Nepal Representative Tomoo Hozumi, condemned the incident and said that children studying in public or private schools should be allowed to learn and grow in a secure environment. "Schools are meant to be safe havens,” he said.
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