Saturday, February 5 2005 14:56 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kathmandu: Continuing its crackdown on political activities, Nepal's new royal Government has arrested four Ministers of the ousted Deuba Cabinet and has decided to set up a commission to probe corruption cases against politicians and others.

Those arrested include former Works and Physical Planning Ministers Prakash Man Singh, Agriculture Minister Homnath Dahal, Education Minister Bimalendra Nidhi, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Prakash Mahat and spokesman of Nepali Congress (Democratic) Minendra Rijal.

The Central members of Deuba's Nepali Congress (Democratic) party were arrested yesterday (Feb 4, 2005) while they were holding a meeting at the party office in Maharajgunj area of the capital, party sources said.

The first meeting of the new Council of Ministers chaired by King Gyanendra, who assumed all executive powers after dismissing the Deuba Government, decided to form a Royal Commission within 15 days to probe corruption cases, state-run Radio Nepal reported today (Feb 5, 2005).

The meeting decided to take strong action against those who amassed huge property by evading tax and smuggling. It also decided to empower the commission to investigate abuse of authority.

Besides making public its 21 point programmes which includes administrative reform plans and ways to penalize corrupt politicians, King Gyanendra's Government decided to form a land bank within 15 days to distribute land to landless people.

The Government also decided to provide educational scholarship to the Dalit, backward and handicapped students.

Leaders of various political parties including Nepali Congress (NC) president Girija Prasad Koirala appealed to all democratic forces to join hands and unitedly oppose the "unconstitutional" steps taken by the King and fight to restore the sovereignty of the people and protect the 1990 democratic constitution.

Nepal Communist Party (UML) president Madhav Kumar Nepal in a statement said all progressive, democratic and patriotic forces should unite against the "autocratic steps" and urged the international community to stand against the authoritarian rule.

Despite the bandh called by the Maoists, vehicles operated and shops opened in Kathmandu today, the third day of the strike.

Telephone services, cut off after the royal takeover, resumed for about two hours yesterday afternoon and an hour at night for the first time but again it was disrupted.

All the Internet Service Provider offices have been closed and security forces have been deployed there.

Kathmandu is heavily guarded by Army and police amidst stepped up security measures across the country.

Nepal Government has virtually halted all party activities by arresting top leaders and keeping vigil on active workers of major political parties since emergency rule, though the political parties were not officially banned.

Earlier Koirala and Nepal were under house arrest.

Similarly, former Prime Minister and NC founder leader Krishna Prasad Bhattarai, NC Democratic president Sher Bahadur Deuba, former Prime Ministers Surya Bahadur Thapa and Lokendra Bahadur Chand have also been put under house arrest, party sources said.

According to 'The Kathmandu Post' former Deputy Prime Minister Bharat Mohan Adhikari, Badri Prasad Mandal, president of Nepal Sadbhavana Party (Mandal), Pashupati Rana, president Rastriya Prajatantra Party, Amik Serchan, president People's Front Nepal were also under house arrest.

Authorities have already arrested Deuba Government's Minister for Industry and Supply Ishwor Pokhrel and Women and Social Welfare Minister Asta Laxmi Shakya (CPN-UML) and Education Minister of State Balkrishna Khan (NC-Democratic).

Political activists have organized small scale protests in the capital and other major parts of the country.

There are unconfirmed reports that dozens of students and youths were injured in clashes with security forces in Prithvinarayan Campus in Pokhara hours after the King seized power.

Reports filtering in now said that agitators had burnt eight vehicles outside Kathmandu on the day when state of emergency was imposed.