KATHMANDU, Dec 2: Editors of leading national dailies, magazines and news websites on Thursday met with hunger striking Dr Govinda KC at the TU Teaching Hospital and expressed their solidarity with his demands.
The group of editors visited TUTH where Dr KC has been staging his tenth round of hunger strike since 19 days demanding crucial reforms in the medical education sector. Issuing a press statement following the meeting with Dr KC the editors have urged the government to address his demands without further delay and save his life.
Editors of mainstream media express solidarity to Dr KC's deman...
"We express our solidarity with Dr Govinda KC, a senior orthopedic surgeon and professor at the TUTH, who has been staging hunger strike for last 19 days demanding an end to anomalies in the medical education and in medical services. Meanwhile, we are equally worried by the indifference shown toward Dr KC's demand by the government," the editors said in the statement.
The editors have termed the government's delay in addressing KC's demand as a matter of shame. "Each time Dr KC stages hunger strike, the government holds dialogue, forges agreement with Dr KC but never implements them. It is also shameful to see demands raised by a responsible citizen remain unresolved for as many as ten times," the statement reads the statement.
Republica Editor Subhash Ghimire, Nagarik Editor-in-Chief Guna Raj Luitel, Setopati Principal Writer Narayan Wagle, Kantipur Editor-in-Chief Sudheer Sharma, The Kathmandu Post Editor-in-Chief Akhilesh Upadhyay, Nepal magazine Editor-in-Chief Prashant Aryal, Himal magazine editor Kiran Nepal, The Himalayan Times Editor Prakash Rimal, Kantipur TV Editor-in-Chief Dil Bhusan Pathak and Baahrakhari Editor-in-Chief Prateek Pradhan had jointly visited Dr KC.
Similarly, Prof Surya Subebi has also expressed solidarity with the demands raised by Dr KC. This time, Dr KC has been staging hunger strike demanding a sack for TU Vice-chancellor Tirtha Khaniya, and IoM dean KP Singh.
Issuing a press statement on Thursday Surya Prasad Subedi, Professor of International Law at the UK-based University of Leeds has expressed his solidarity and support for Dr KC's demand designed for depoliticizing the management and administration of Nepal's academic sector and promoting academic freedom. He has called upon the government to fulfill and implement with sincerity Dr KC's demands.
