Tame the police

Great crimes have been committed in the name of maintaining law and order.

No matter how hard we have fought to establish democracy, our security apparatus continues to resist the natural process of evolution. At its core, the security apparatus is a repressive institution that thrives on brutality, domination and subjugation. This was evident in Rupandehi where, on Sunday, four people were killed in police firing and at least a dozen injured during a clash with squatters in the Motipur Industrial Area. At least five policemen were injured during the scuffle as they tried to clear out alleged encroachers from the industrial zone. As usual, the Nepal Police claimed it opened fire in self-defence; but the extent of the brutality, resulting in the loss of human lives, reveals how it considers the lives of citizens disposable.