Thursday, April 28 2005 08:49 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kathmandu: Ousted Nepali Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, arrested on alleged graft charges, was yesterday (Apr 27, 2005) grilled by the Royal Government's anti-corruption body, as police arrested five prominent leaders of two biggest political parties of the Himalayan Kingdom.

Deuba was summoned to the Royal Corruption Control Commission (RCCC) at 10:00 hrs (local time) after his pre-dawn arrest for explaining alleged irregularities regarding distribution of PM's fund and awarding the contract of access road to Melamchi Drinking Water Project but he refused to give explanation questioning the legality of the Royal Commission.

After grilling him at the RCCC's office at Nayabaneshwor for seven hours Deuba was then taken to the Nepal Police Training Centre at Maharajgunj for detention.

Nepali Congress central committee members former Foreign Minister Ramsharan Mahat, Chakra Prasad Bastola and Dil Bahadur Gharti and Nepal Communist Party UML Standing Committee member and former Minister Subhash Nemwang and CPN-UML central member Raghu Panta were arrested yesterday, said Nepali Congress Deputy General Secretary Govinda Raj Joshi.

The leaders were arrested as soon as they returned from an interaction programme in Kathmandu, he said.

Meanwhile, a dozen student leaders belonging to Nepal Students Union, affiliated to the Nepali Congress (Democratic), were arrested from near the RCCC office as they demonstrated against Deuba's arrest, student sources said.

The students chanted slogans against the Royal Commission and the Royal Government, the sources said.

The 59-year-old former Prime Minister was arrested a week after he rejected a summons to appear before the RCCC, set up King Gyanendra, for questioning over allegations of committing irregularities while awarding the multi-million Dollar contract of the ADB-funded Melamchi Drinking Water Project.

Armed policemen arrived at Deuba's residence in Budhanilkantha, 10 kms from Kathmandu, shortly after 02:00 hrs (local time), cut off telephone and electricity lines and forcefully took him into custody, Nepali Congress spokesman Minendra Rijal told sources.

The Commission set up shortly after the King seized power on February 1, had also charged Deuba with distributing unauthorised funds to party workers.

Rijal termed the action "inhuman" and said the whereabouts of the senior leader were not known after the arrest. "How can they arrest a former Prime Minister in the middle of the night? This is inhumane and amazing," he added.

Deuba was arrested despite Nepalese authorities informing the international community at the Asia-Africa Summit in Jakarta that democracy will be restored and state of emergency will be lifted soon, he said.

As news of the arrest spread, scores of party workers streamed to the residence of Deuba.

Earlier police arrested Prakash Man Singh, former works Minister and son of Ganesh Man Singh, in connection with the same case. Singh had also refused to appear before the commission.

The royal commission, which has sweeping powers of detention and punishment, had earlier grilled six ministers of Deuba's Cabinet.