JANAKPUR, Aug 20: Civil society members and representatives of various sections of society in Dhanusha district believe that the protests in the tarai-Madhes districts can be resolved peacefully through dialogue.
Their emphasis on a peaceful solution comes at a time when protests against the proposed provincial demarcations have been taking place in several parts of the tarai for the last four days.
They said leaders from the major political forces can win the support of Madhesi people if they hold serious negotiations with the disgruntled groups, ensure autonomy for the provinces and listen to their concerns.
Veteran Madhesi leader Bharat Bimal Yadav said that the situation worsened only because of the childish decisions of a group of politicians. "The political parties have no alternative but to entrust a team of experts to find solutions to state restructuring, with the politicians resolving the other issues," he said.
Shiv Shankar Sah, chairman of the Janakpur Chamber of Commerce, believes that there is still room for resolving the issues peacefully. "It is not that everything has been ruined. Fifty percent of the problem will be automatically addressed once the major parties hold talks with the agitating sides and approach the issues on the basis of the agreements signed in the past," said Sah.
Following the death of Rajib Raut, a protester in Bhardaha of Saptati on Tuesday, demonstrators from the United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF) have intensified their protests across the tarai districts for the fourth consecutive day, Wednesday.
In Saptari, irate agitators set the police post at Bhardaha and a motorcycle (Sa 4 Pa 7938) on fire following vandalism on Wednesday morning. After a huge mass of demonstrators gathered at Bhardaha Chowk to continue the protests, a large number of security personnel were deployed to aviod any untoward incident.
A meeting of local demonstrators and the UDMF held Wednesday morning called for the declaration of deceased Raut as a martyr and a legal investigation into the death and the police action, among other demands.
"There is no point accepting Raut's body until our demands are fulfilled," said Shambhu Jha, central leader of the Federal Socialist Forum Nepal.
The meeting attended by Matrika Yadav, chairman of the CPN (Maoist), and senior leaders of Madhesi parties from the UDMF, concluded that the demonstrations were suppressed and the local administration was actively vilifying the protests, informed Dinesh Yadav, Saptari coordinator for the agitating Front .
Talking to media after the meeting, Nepal Communist Party (Maoist) Chairman Yadav appealed to all Madhesi leaders to join hands for a Madhes movement. "Central leaders of Madhes should join the agitation to make it impactful," he said.
The curfew imposed in Bhardaha since Tuesday was lifted Wednesday morning. The curfew was clamped after the situation went out of control following the death of a protestor in clashes between police and demonstrators, Tuesday morning.
The protests against the police action in the Saptari incident intensified in Siraha, Dhanusha, Mahottari, Sarlahi, Rautahat, Bara and Parsa. The protest impact was intense in Rautahat and Mahottari districts. In Rautahat, local agitators obstructed district level government offices at district headquarters, Gaur.
In Mahottari, leaders and cadres of parties affiliated with the Front staged demonstrations at district headquarters, Jaleshwor. Protesters also clashed for a short while with police at local Mahendrachowk.
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