UDAYAPUR, Oct 29: Medical reform activist Dr Govinda KC has suspended his planned hunger strike in Udayapur after failing to secure a suitable public venue for the protest.
KC had planned to begin the hunger strike on Thursday, October 29, and had asked his local representatives to arrange a location. According to Gaurishankar Udas, KC’s local representative, the activist initially sought permission to stage the protest on the premises of Radhakrishna Temple in Bokse, near the district headquarters, Gaighat.
However, the temple management committee was reluctant to allow a hunger strike over political demands at a religious site, while the local administration did not provide the expected support, Udas said.
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Udas and several supporters had been negotiating with the temple committee since Wednesday morning. After failing to secure permission, they searched for an alternative venue and rented a roadside house near the road leading to Babarani Cinema Hall in Gaighat for 15 days.
The house, which previously operated as Suryodaya Hospital, has 14 rooms and commercial shutters facing the road. Udas said they had completed cleaning the premises on Wednesday in preparation for the protest.
According to Udas, KC was scheduled to arrive on Thursday morning, hold a press conference at noon and begin the hunger strike in the evening. However, KC decided to suspend the programme, saying he would not stage the protest in a private residence after failing to secure a public venue.
“I searched extensively after we could not reach an agreement with the temple committee and arranged a house with enough rooms in a safe location,” Udas said. He added that the accommodation was intended to provide space for KC, police personnel and supporters to rest and prepare meals, particularly given KC’s age and forecasts of adverse weather.
Udas said KC had not informed him when he might resume the hunger strike.
The suspension came a day after Nagarik News reported on KC’s planned protest. Later that day, a Cabinet meeting decided to address demands raised during various health-related movements over the years.
Some residents of Gaighat speculated that the government’s decision may have influenced KC’s move, but no confirmation of such a link was available.
KC has staged 24 hunger strikes over the past 15 years, demanding reforms in medical education, an end to malpractice in the medical sector and greater government accountability in public healthcare. He began his first hunger strike in 2012 and has repeatedly resumed protests after agreements with successive governments failed to deliver the promised reforms.
