Municipal Police Abuse Woman Selling Fruit in Karnali

Surkhet. A video of the municipal police of Birendranagar, the capital of Karnali, abusing a woman has surfaced. The abuse was inflicted on a woman who was selling Kafal (fruit) in a basket. The video, which has appeared on social media, is said to have been filmed near the City Bus Park in Birendranagar. The incident occurred on Tuesday evening. In the video, the municipal police grab the woman's basket, and she tries to prevent the Kafal from falling to the ground. However, two municipal police officers forcibly overturn the basket, scattering the Kafal on the ground. The woman is seen crying profusely, while the municipal police get into a vehicle and leave. The woman is left to pick up the Kafal helplessly. Kafal is a wild fruit found in the mountainous regions. It is popular for its delicious taste. It is currently the season for Kafal. Locals near the mountains pick Kafal and bring it to the Birendranagar market for economic gain. The identity of the woman who was abused by the municipal police has not been revealed. However, the abuse by the municipal police is being widely criticized publicly. Former mayor of Birendranagar Municipality, Devkumar Subedi, posted a picture of the woman on social media, saying, 'Let us live, government.' Chintamani Sharma, president of the Surkhet Chamber of Commerce, said, 'This level of inhumane act while selling seasonal Kafal is unforgivable. Stones, gravel, sand, iron rods, and marble are placed on the sides of the road, making it impassable. Moreover, the highway is chaotic and dirty due to the ongoing construction of drains. The municipality is paying no attention to that.' According to him, Birendranagar does not have traffic jams like Sundhara and Botahiti in Kathmandu. It is the hot season, and few people are seen on the streets. Passersby buy Kafal and corn from mothers selling them on the roadside. By selling the Kafal and corn they buy, they earn a living for two meals and buy clothes to cover themselves. He stated that the municipal police are oppressing the lower class in such a situation, and it is unbearable. Similarly, former officials of the Surkhet Chamber of Commerce and Industry and all stakeholders have widely criticized this incident. A local representative of Birendranagar Municipality also said that this act was wrong. 'This is not good; this city belongs to the underprivileged as well,' he said. 'We will also raise the issue.' When Ratopati repeatedly contacted municipal police head constable Padam Chalise for information on this matter, he did not answer the phone. The mobile phone of the deputy mayor of Birendranagar was switched off, and the phone of the mayor, Mohanmaya Dhakal, was not answered. However, the information officer of the municipality, Tanka Prakash Lamichhane, defended the incident. 'When asked, the person selling Kafal went onto the road while a vehicle was coming, and she ran away when the municipal police arrived,' he said. However, he added that an investigation would be conducted into the incident as various questions have been raised. The municipality had asked the municipal police about the incident. 'When we understood their side, they said that the basket was overturned by the woman's own knee, not by the police,' he said. 'The police did not intend to trouble her or spill the Kafal; they said it was an accident caused by her own knee during a scuffle.' However, the video shows two police officers forcibly snatching the woman's basket. According to Lamichhane, the municipality is focusing on managing the footpaths. 'Sometimes, when doing many tasks, such mistakes happen inadvertently,' he said. 'We have asked the woman to come forward, and discussions will be held once she comes.' He also mentioned that there were female police officers present at the scene when the incident occurred, not male police officers.