500 Died in Nepal Uprising, Prime Minister Says

At least 500 people died during Nepal’s seven-week democracy movement that led to the fall of a 29-year-old partyless form of government, Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai said Thursday.

“Our estimate is that at least 500 persons died during the movement,” Bhattarai, who was an opposition leader before becoming prime minister, told a meeting organized by lawyers to discuss Nepal’s new constitution.

Previous reports have indicated that at least 52 people were killed when police clashed with protesters demanding democracy in the landlocked Himalayan kingdom, and Bhattarai did not explain how he obtained the new figures.

However, human rights leader Rishikesh Shaha said: “Bhattarai is near to the truth. My estimate is 500 to 600 persons.”

Shaha referred to a confrontation when troops fired on demonstrators marching to the palace shortly before King Birendra consented to a multi-party democracy last month.

“I have reports from witnesses who have said authoritatively that bodies that night were carted off in at least four trucks,” he said. “You can imagine how many bodies can be loaded in one truck.”

A former human rights activist with links to the government said he thought “at least 400 persons were killed during the movement” and added that the prime minister “must be speaking on the basis of some facts.”

Bhattarai was inaugurating a three-day conference by the Nepal Law Society to discuss the new constitution.

The king suspended parts of the current constitution regarding institutions of the former partyless panchayat system. Nepal’s first multi-party government in 29 years was appointed by the king under emergency powers in the present constitution.

Bhattarai said that King Birendra, who has extensive powers, wants to become a constitutional monarch.

“We have had extensive discussions,” Bhattarai said. “The king has to be constitutional. He has agreed. He is fed up. I am not pushing him.

“The king is also agreed that other members of the royal family should have less power,” Bhattarai told a cheering audience.

Queen Aishwarya, Birendra’s brother and other members of the royal family have extensive businesses and head such institutions as the Nepal Red Cross.

Bhattarai, who heads an interim government pending elections, reiterated that a committee will be formed soon to draft a new constitution within 90 days.

He said the constitution will incorporate the right of “freedom of worship,” as requested by Christians.

Nepal is the world’s only Hindu kingdom and proselytizing is a punishable offense, but freedom of religion is tolerated. There are 50,000 Christians among the population of 19 million, who are mostly Hindus and Buddhists.