Police move to detain 700 ‘trouble makers’ in Capital sparks debate

Nepal Police’s move to detain more than 700 young men from the streets of Kathmandu for sporting long hair and earrings has sparked a debate among the general public. While police have defended the drive, some people have opposed it saying that it is breach of a person's rights.

Police on Monday rounded up over 700 so called ‘mundres and tyapes’ from various parts of the city saying that they were potential trouble makers.

“Are we under the Taliban and Nepal Police our ‘discipline in-charge’? Is it against the law that I want to keep my hair long?” said a man who was one of those held. “I was only released after my father came to the police station,” he said declining to be identified.

"The police should not use such derogatory terms as 'tyape', 'mundre' and 'gunda'," said the boy's father.

Police, however, said that the move was aimed at discouraging potential trouble makers. Officials say that in most violent cases of crime in the city, the perpetrators have long hair and wear earrings.

Just a few days ago Ayush Shrestha (18) of Raktakali, Kathmandu, was stabbed to death over a minor dispute among local youth, police said. Nepalnews.com