India suspects ISI involvement
By Our Special Correspondent
NEW DELHI, DEC. 27. Security officials monitoring the anti-India protests in Nepal suspect the hand of the Pakistani agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), in the tendentious stir, sparked by the alleged anti-Nepal remarks made by Hrithik.
The official view is that the film star is a private citizen and whether he made the remarks or not were not a matter of interest to the Government. Privately, there is unhappiness that the agitation has been allowed to acquire an anti-India character.
There is a sense of bafflement on the origin of the presumed remarks. The Ministry of External Affairs simply released a press note issued by the Embassy in Kathmandu, clarifying that as far as could be determined, the film star had not made any derogatory remarks. Internal security experts are not surprised that a protest of this kind has been cranked up. **Hrithik has become a key figure in the emerging divide in the Bollywood-underworld connections, and it is natural that the vastly-networked underworld would want to drag his name in a trumped-up controversy. **
Those who keep track of the ISI activities in Nepal believe it has penetrated frontal organisations of the Left, some of which are in the forefront of the anti-Hrithik, anti-India agitation. Intelligence sources believe that these frontal organisations have allowed themselves to be used to print and distribute fake Indian currency.
Security officials have been unhappy for long over the nature of cooperation from the Nepalese authorities, even after the Kathmandu-Kandahar hijacking of the Indian Airlines flight last year. It is the assumption here that the Pakistani embassy in Kathmandu is the hub of ISI activities.
The Indian expression of concern has been given mere lip service, as far as New Delhi is concerned. In fact, the Nepalese authorities have invariably given the very correct but unhelpful answer: ``Bring us the pinpointed information and we will move against the ISI.‘’
Attempts to set up a joint working group of security experts have not taken off. Home Ministry officials are hoping that once a new security team is put in place in Kathmandu, it would be possible to have another round of dialogue at the Home Secretary level.
(From ‘The Hindu’)
And this one from ‘Kathmandu Post’
Public feels Hrithik episode ‘exaggerated’
Post Report
KATHMANDU, Dec 26 - The Capital remained tense today following a violent student protest over the derogatory remarks made by Bollywood film star Hrithik Roshan.
The protest took a nasty turn as Indian tourists were allegedly manhandled and shops owned by Nepalis of Indian origin and Indians were vandalised by the angry mobs in different parts of the capital. Vehicles with Indian number plates were also reportedly smashed and a police vehicle was set into fire.
How do the locals feel about it?
“This violence is not good,” said Santosh Awale a businessman from Baneshwore. “We should ban all his movies, that’s all right. But I feel that the public has over reacted to the situation,” he said.
Shyam Khadka, who looks after the management of Mulyankan monthly, a left leaning magazine, feels that the violent public reaction was not only due to what the film star allegedly said. " It is more against the government not reacting over something that has hurt the national sentiment."
“People are just making mountain out of a mole hill. It is not logical, that innocent people are being beaten because of a remark made by someone,” said Yanta K Tamang, a student from Patan.
"The actor should have been aware of the impact his statement would make. He should have known that he has a strong fan following over here too. That remark was very irresponsible.
But so were the violent reaction of the public. We should have demanded apology from the actor through proper channel," said Ram Bahadur Budhathoki, a local resident of Bouddha.
Sapana Sunwar, a working woman said that it was foolish that we were destroying our properties just because someone said something. “Whatever we do out here Hrithik is not going to see it, so why are we destroying our own things and killing our people?” she questioned.
A ten-year old girl, Maiya Thapa said, “Eventhough he said those things we should not get angry. We have to tell him lovingly that he should not say such things.”
[This message has been edited by ZZ (edited December 27, 2000).]