Kathmandu, Nepal: A crisis erupted in Nepal as prime minister Prachanda sacked the army chief Rookmangad Katawal on Sunday. A decision by Prachanda that pushed the key coalition partner CPN (UML) to withdraw support from the Maoist led government. Anti-Prachanda protests hit the streets of the Nepal capital and the unrest could acquire violent overtones.
Kathmandu is on a short fuse as Prachanda has mobilised his Maoist fighters and put the armed police on a high state of alert.
"Army chief was given show cause to explain his conduct. His reply was not satisfactory. So the cabinet has decided to remove him from his post with immediate effect. And for the time being, the vacancy is being filled up by General Kul Bahadur Kharge," said Nepal information and communication minister Krishna Bahadur Mahra.
Maoist dissatisfaction with Katawal centred on his refusal to integrate the Maoist cadres into the army. He said it would undermine the apolitical character of the military. He recruited nearly 3,000 jawans into the army and reinstated eight brigadier-generals in the teeth of Maoist opposition.
And Katawal is still fighting as he rejected the cabinet termination letter saying only president Ram Baran Yadav could remove him. He called an emergency meeting of key commanders.
Katawal's action could be termed mutinous but the politicians are lining up behind him. The Nepali Congress and the Sadbhavna Party are backing him.
The CPN(UML) has withdrawn from the Maoist dominated coalition and there is speculation president Ram Baran Yadav may tell the Maoists that the matter should be settled on the floor of Parliament.
If it comes to that, the Maoists lack the numbers in Parliament to win and could end up losing their government.
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