Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Inspector General of Nepal Police (IGP) Basanta Kunwar has said that the Balkumari incident could have been avoided if the minister’s car had not entered the streets where protesting youths were gathered.
Two individuals lost their lives on Friday when youths aspiring to leave for South Korea for employment under the Employment Promotion Scheme (EPS), confronted Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Prakash Jwala’s car during their protest in Balkumari, Lalitpur, according to police reports.
Speaking at the meeting of the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee of the House of Representatives on Sunday, Kunwar explained that the police used force to prevent risk to the minister’s security as the attack on the minister in the Kathmandu Valley would send a negative message. “Eight police personnel were injured in the incident,” Kunwar added. “The use of force was necessary due to the risk to the minister.”
According to Kunwar, the protesters took to the streets on their own and they had no leader as such. “Police had to use force to disperse the crowd at 11:30 am. Subsequently, at 11:52 am, the dispersed crowd intercepted the minister’s car as it exited Kantipur Party Palace and set it on fire,” Kunwar said. “The minister’s Personal Security Officer (PSO) did not receive a security update before leaving the party palace.”
Kunwar said that the PSO swiftly moved the minister to a secure location after the protesters began pushing him.
