Young Communist League Or Young Criminal League

Despite the Maoists joining legislative parliament and government, the Maoists, in the name of Young Communist League (YCL), continue to engage in looting, vandalism, intimidation and hostility across the country.

Nepalnews.com, famous web news of Nepal mentioned the atrocities of YCL in one single news report, dated 20th May 2007 as following: "YCL cadres smeared the face of Narayan Bikram Rana, a resident at Khata of Dhodhari VDC-9 with tar and took him round the village yesterday. A local landlord, Rana was charged by the YCL cadres of exploiting people. They even forced his family members to take refuge in their neighbour's house and padlocked it.

Police later reached the site and freed Rana from YCL cadres."

..."In another incident the same day, cadres of the league mercilessly beat up ex-policeman Lokraj Regmi at Shantibatka, Ratnapark, after a heated argument among them on Saturday. A police team that reached the spot immediately after receiving the information about the scuffle found Regmi lying on the ground with injury marks all over his body."

..."Similarly, YCL activists brutally thrashed Prakash Pariyar or Pipaltari VDC-1 and broke his hands and legs, Friday evening. 35-year-old Praiyar who serves in the Indian Army, was home on a vacation and was thrashed for using "abusive language" against the Maoists's area in-charge Prabahat. Badly bruised, Pariyar was rushed to Pokhara for treatment where he is said to be out of danger."

..."Additionally, a group of YCL activists looted properties worth Rs 600,000 from the house of Ram Mani Nepane in Duwakot, Bhaktapur yesterday. According to police, a group led by YCL activist Ram Krishna Khadka overpowered the family members and made away with cash and other valuables safely locked in the cabinet. Police said the search is on to nab the culprits."

..."In the eastern town of Biratnagar, YCL activists beat up two goldsmiths – Sanjay Devi Sutradhar and her son Manoj Sutradhar – after vandalising their shops at Thakurbadi road, Saturday. The Maoists were reportedly furious with them because they had opened their shop even on Saturday, the weekly public holiday."

..."Meanwhile, due to Maoist threats, all work on the fourth phase of the Indo-Nepal joint effort to prepare Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the Saptakoshi High Dam has been halted, the Kathmandu Post reports."

The above-mentioned activities of YCL are just a few examples. Similar incidents are happening daily in almost all parts of the country. Such types of activities are done by criminal groups, but not expected from a sister organization of a ruling political party. Surprisingly, YCL is fully involved in such activities. Seeing the criminal nature of the activities of YCL, people of Nepal are getting confused as to whether the YCL is Youth Communist League or a Youth Criminal League?

Most of the members of YCL are hardcore militants who are not registered in a cantonment. Recently, Sagar, so-called in charge of Kathmandu valley bureau of YCL, mentioned on a TV program that he was valley brigade commander of the Maoists' rebel force before he assumed his present assignment. This statement indicates that the Maoists are deceiving even the United Nations' mission in Nepal (UNMIN) that the real combatants are outside the camps. It has been said that more then sixty percent of rebel combatants are working as YCL cadre all over the country. Those who are kept in camps are mostly new or child soldiers, recruited during the post-ceasefire period.

This gives a clear picture to all of us that the government of Nepal and UNMIN are just legitimatizing duplicate combatants. People of Nepal believe that the government and UNMIN will seriously verify in second phase, and segregate those who do not meet the criteria of combatants.

YCL cadres are not only busy in criminal activity, but also are involved in anti-national activity by destroying historical monuments and statues. History can not be deleted or changed by destruction. YCL and their leaders should not forget that new history (good or bad) can be created, but history can not be changed.

If the criminal acts of YCL continue, then peace is far away in Nepal, and a free and fair election can not be held till the time such activities continue. The Maoists often blame the Prime Minister or royalist group for disturbing and destabilizing the peace, where as, in reality, they are the ones who are becoming hurdles in an ongoing peace process.

Probably, this is a unique example in Nepalese history that a political party is directly involved in crimes, smugglings and anti-people, as well as anti-national activities. Despite of all these happenings, no strong pressures have been given to Maoists to stop YCL brutalities. The reason could be that nobody wants to displease the Maoists, fearing that, if the Maoists are annoyed, then the fragile peace process will be in jeopardy.

The government and the United Nations should take serious action against this type of undemocratic and anti-social work. Otherwise, soon they will loose their credibility. At the same time, the Maoists must give clear-cut instruction to YCL to behave like a responsible political force. If the Maoists' leadership keeps encouraging YCL to work as a criminal group by taking the law into their own hands, then the people will give them necessary punishment on which YCL will be remembered in new history of new Nepal as "Young Criminal League".

ENDS

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