Janaandolan victims feel insulted

KATHMANDU, May 31: Jaya Tamrakar was busy in her daily chores at her home in Naubise, Dhading, Sunday morning. All of a sudden, one of her neighbors came with a newspaper and informed her that the government has decided to confer state honor on a police officer who allegedly shot dead her only son Sagun during the Janaandolan II four years ago.

"After that I couldn´t stop myself and I rushed to Kathmandu without even having food," Tamrakar said at the parliamentary party office of the Nepali Congress (NC) in Singha Durbar. She arrived at the NC office in the afternoon and expressed her serious objection to the government decision.

She felt insulted to learn that the government has decided to award Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Durja Kumar Rai, who has been accused of brutally suppressing the protesters during the people´s movement in 2006, with state honor.

Rai is among 269 personalities selected by the government on the Second Republic Day Sunday for the state honors for their ´distinctive contribution to the country´.

Tamrakar said Rai was the one who shot dead her son among three other innocent persons at Kalanki. Sagun was killed on April 20, 2006, when the movement against the autocratic monarchy reached its climax. After four days of his killing, then king Gyanendra had bowed down to the people.

The government formed after the success of the movement declared Sagun a martyr and suspended Rai for suppressing the movement. He was indicted by the Rayamajhi Commission formed by the government to probe into the misuse of power during the king´s to suppress the movement.

When NC parliamentary party (PP) leader Ram Chandra Poudel came there, Tamrakar along with other people who lost their beloved ones during the movement surrounded Poudel and demanded that the government decision to honor Rai be revoked.

"The government has added insult to our injury by promoting and honoring the culprits like Rai, let alone remembering we martyrs´ family members on the Republic Day," she burst into tears inside the NC office.

Saying that he was unaware of the government decision, Poudel assured them to study the matter in detail and do something about it. He telephoned Home Minister Bhim Rawal from his office right in front of the victims. "What can I do as the previous government had already promoted the same officer [Rai]?," Rawal reportedly told Poudel.

"We will launch protests against the government if the authority concerned fails to correct it," said Rudra Joshi, a member of the Coordination Committee of Injured and Martyrs´ Family Members.

According to Drona Prasad Lamichhane, whose father Yam Lal Lamichhane, 51, was killed during the movement in Bardiya, members of the committee had protested Rai´s promotion. The previous Maoist-led government had promoted him from SSP to DIG.

According to him, Loktantrik Yuva Samaj (Democratic Youth Society) in Kalanki, which was formed after the people´s movement, has planned to stage protests at Kalanki against the government decision Monday morning.

Martyrs´ family members and injured said they will meet President Dr Ram Baran Yadav, Prime Minister Madhav Nepal and ministers to submit protest letters.

NC parliamentarians said they will raise the matter strongly in the parliament on Monday. "We will strongly object to it in the parliament meeting and press the leaders to correct it," lawmaker Usha Gurung told Tamrakar and others at the NC office.

Source: http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=19301