Maoist victims tussle to submit memorandum at NHRC

KATHMANDU: Vehicles, including sleek Scorpios with UN number plates, were blaring their horns. Policemen blew whistles to facilitate the traffic. Just 20 meters away, over a dozen police sweated and scrambled to force women, children and some middle-age people onto two trucks. People already in the trucks were shouting, “Where are our rights?”, “We want our captured property back” and so on, while police shouted to them to shut up. [break]

It was the 60^th International Human Rights Day, Wednesday.

The dignitaries in their vehicles were to attend a function organized by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to mark the occasion while those being squeezed onto the trucks wanted to hand a memorandum to the NHRC chief.

“What is our crime that police are arresting and manhandling us,” fumes Mina Kumari Dangi, 55, of Rangshi VDC-5 in Rolpa district, “We just want our property back from the Maoists”.

Some 200 persons who suffered at the hands of the Maoists during the conflict had congregated at the NHRC gate Monday afternoon to hand in their memorandum stating they haven’t received justice from the state.

“We chose this day because Maoist Chairman and Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal is attending the NHRC function,” says Dambar Bahadur Bhujel, 71, of Ramechhap district Khimti VDC-4. Maoists captured his three houses and some 70 ropani of land in 2002.

“Although I returned many times to Khimti, I couldn’t stay in the village due to threats from Maoist cadres,” Bhujul told Republica.

The Maoists, despite their repeated pledges, haven’t yet returned seized property. Prime Minister Dahal announced that his cadres will return all confiscated property by mid-December. He also assured government compensation for victims who don’t get their property back. However, this hasn’t happened yet.

Despite the tussles at the gate, Dahal and the other dignitaries made their way to the function without difficulty.

NHRC chief Kedar Nath Upadhyaya later said human rights in Nepal are deteriorating. “Sister organizations of various political parties and criminals have been taking the law into their own hands,” he said, adding, “It’s unfortunate the political parties and police haven’t taken any action against this.”

He said “There must be a transitional relief package for victims displaced by the conflict”.

Like all other victims, Mina Kumari Dangi asked, “Don’t we have the right to hand a memorandum to the NHRC chief? Isn’t this a violation of our rights?”