We became villains for just doing our duty, say Nepal cops

KATHMANDU: As Nepal struggles to recover from the Sept 8–9 protests that left at least 72 people dead and the country grappling with a trail of destruction, police personnel involved in controlling the surging crowds that took to the streets, say they were caught in a Catch-22 situation.

“Nobody bothered to know what we went through. We became villains in the eyes of the public just because we followed govt orders. If we hadn’t obeyed, we would have faced consequences. If we did, we had to risk our lives controlling the volatile crowds. Either way, we were doomed. Sadly, nobody saw our situation,” said a police officer deployed at Durbar Marg, which was slowly returning to normalcy on Sunday.

Among the dead were three Nepal police officers too. An assistant head constable stationed near the charred remains of Singha Durbar, said the silence over the deaths of the police personnel was "deeply painful". “Everyone talks about the protesters. But we, too, are humans with families. Our colleagues, who were sole breadwinners for their families, were brutally thrashed and killed on the streets. The trauma their family members are enduring is unimaginable.”

Cops say the least the new govt can do is give jobs to dependents of those killed. “The most eligible family member should be allowed to replace them in the force,” a senior sub-inspector said. “And those responsible for killing the three personnel must be brought to justice, just as there is demand for action against those who killed protesters. Justice must be even and equal for all.”