Black day being observed nationwide in protest of 'coup' against democracy

Kathmandu, December 16 — A 'Black Day' is being marked nationwide today in protest of the extermination of the first people-elected government and parliament on the backup of then Royal Nepali Army.

The then King Mahendra had arrested and imprisoned several popular leaders including the first people-elected Prime Minster BP Koirala and introduced the party-less Panchayat Political System in the country nearly six and a half decades ago on Push 1, 2017 BS.

Popular leader BP Koirala and other leaders were arrested while they were attending a programme organized by Nepal Tarun Dal, the youth wing of the Nepali Congress, and imprisoned for three months in Singha Durbar and then in Sundarijal.

Leaders including BP were detained within the high-rise walls at the quarter of a senior Nepal Army official in Sundarijal. The place gained popularity as ‘Bandi Griha (detainee home)’ after this imprisonment.

BP authored various literary books such as ‘Doshi Chasma’ and spectrum of short fiction during his jail life in Sundarijal. The jail life was proved to be a boon for the veteran democratic leader to explore his literary writings. BP credited a dozen of his noted literary creations to the Nepali literature. He has established his eminence in Nepali literature especially by introducing Freudian libidinal psychology in his fictions and novels.

During his imprisonment in Sundarijal, BP had authored ‘Shwetbhairabi’, a collection of stories and novels including ‘Modiaain’, ‘Babu, Ama Ra Chhora’, ‘Sumnima’, ‘Teen Ghumti’ and ‘Hitler Ra Yahudi’.

Likewise, his biographical epics ‘Atmakatha’, ‘Atmabritanta’, ‘Jail Journal’ and ‘Feri Sundarijal’ are more popular in the political front at home and abroad.

Along with BP the then Speaker Krishna Prasad Bhattarai, ministers and party leaders Ganeshman Singh, Surya Prasad Upadhyay, Diwan Singh Rai, Ra Narayan Mishra and Yogendraman Sherchan were detained in Sundarijal following the coup orchestrated by the monarch on Push 1.

Various organizations including Nepal Tarun Dal have been observing the day as black move against democracy in the anal of political history of Nepal. Today, Nepali Congress and Nepal Tarun Dal are marking the black day by organizing several porgrammes across the country.