FNJ announces protest as journalist Shah’s status remains still unknown

The Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) has announced phase-wise protest to exert pressure on the government and the Maoists to find out the whereabouts of Birendra Shah, a Bara-based journalist who was abducted a month ago.

An hour-long dharna (sit-in) has been planned for Sunday in front of Singha Durbar from 1:00 pm, right before the start of a crucial sitting of the parliament, to request the lawmakers to take up the issue more seriously.

The FNJ has also warned it will launch nationwide protest if Shah’s status is not made public immediately.

The FNJ’s announcement came after the assurances given by Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and Maoist chairman Prachanda to bring out the truth on the abduction case failed to show any result.

Meanwhile, Maoist leaders said they were going to publicise a report on Shah’s abduction within the next 24 hours as an investigation team deployed by the party is yet to return from Bara. Maoist deputy commander and MP Janardan Sharma ‘Prabhakar’ told reporters at a programme today that the report would be publicised as soon as the investigation team returned to the capital.

Various sides including a parliamentary panel, the National Human Rights Commission and media groups have confirmed the involvement of at least four local leaders of the Maoist party in Shah’s abduction. nepalnews.com mk Nov 03 07