Jajarkot’s conflict victims decry the ‘people’s war’
Chanmati Batala, 68, of Bherimalika municipality-1 Kalegaun has been without support in her old age after her only son Deepak Batala was killed during the Maoist insurgency. In 1998, Deepak, then 24, was killed by security personnel because of his ‘involvement’ in the insurgency.
The Maoists had started a ‘people’s war’ 23 years ago on February 13, 1996, ostensibly for the liberation of Nepal and its citizens. Districts in the mid-western hills, including Jajarkot, Rukum, Rolpa and Kalikot, were Maoist strongholds.
At the time, Deepak was a student at Tribhuvan Secondary School and was involved with a student union close to the Maoists. His involvement with the union led to his arrest and killing by security personnel. Chanmati’s husband had passed away by then. Four of her daughters are married. She now lives with a disabled daughter.
Says Chanmati, “Thousands of Nepalis like my son lost their lives at a young age in the name of the Maoist war. The political system changed, but now there is nobody to support us.” She laments that the Maoists did not keep the promises they made during the war. “Politicians got people to kill each other in order to advance their agenda. But what happened? More than war, Nepalis need good governance, development, peace and stability,” she says. “May Nepalis never kill each other like they did back then.”
It’s been more than 12 years since the war ended. It seems like a remote, even fictional, story for the new generation. But for those who endured the atrocities of the war, the pain remains raw.
The Maoists made Congres cadres stand in a line and started hacking them to death
It was around 17 years ago during the conflict that Bhadra Bir Rana, also from Bherimalika municipality, was captured by security personnel. His wife Bali Rana still does not know his whereabouts, but she hasn’t given up hope that he will come back. “The Maoists used to come to our home, eat the food we cooked and take him to their events. That led to his arrest and disappearance,” she says.
Following the capture of the District Police Office in Laha on June 12, 1999, the Maoists made four Nepali Congress cadres stand in a line and started hacking them to death. Ram Bahadur Khatri, a Laha local, was one of the four. He says a chill runs down his spine whenever he remembers the incident.
“I was the last guy in the line. They started the slaughter from the top of the line. I thought I would rather try running away than be killed like that, consequences be damned. I managed to escape, and came to the district headquarters and hid there. I have not been back to the village since,” he recounts.
Rajendra Bikram Shah, a local civic leader, says ordinary citizens were troubled by both sides during the war. “Security personnel used to target them for feeding the Maoists, attending their programs, giving them donations, etc. But if they did not do as the Maoists told them, they feared that the insurgents would harm them.”
“In the decade-long war, many lost their husbands or their parents. Many others were maimed. Youngsters who were involved in the war are severely disappointed,” says Shah. “They joined the war with the hope of improving the country’s socio-economic conditions but their own conditions are now so bleak that they are forced to go to Gulf countries for work.”
Over 370 people from Jajarkot lost their lives during the war and hundreds were displaced or maimed. Dozens of government structures were demolished. Many victims have got neither justice nor compensation.
The only surviving communist commune
Some people are cutting vegetables, some doing the dishes. Others are moving stuff here and there. It looks like a wedding or a social gathering is about to take place. But it’s neither. This happens every day in Adharshila Commune, which is located at Bardibas Gauridanda in Mahottari, a district in Province 2. Communists have long been dreaming (and talking about their dream) of transforming society. It was with this idea that 13 families got together and started living in Adharshila Commune from 2002.
The commune was started in accordance with the political vision of the then Communist Party of Nepal Unity Center-Masal. The current Minister of Education, Science and Technology Giriraj Mani Pokharel, who is one of its founding members, took the lead in establishing it.
As 13 families depend on this commune for their basic needs such as food, clothing and shelter, it is named Adharshila (literally ‘foundation stone’). None of the members have personal property. Pokharel says those who join this commune donate all their property to the (communist) movement. “We had 48 members at one point. Now, many of the children have grown up and gone to different places in Nepal and abroad to pursue higher studies. So our numbers have decreased,” says Pokharel.
The commune had started in Siraha’s Golbazar by taking in 18 children. But the basic idea of a commune is not just to satisfy the needs of children and provide for their education, says Pokharel. “So we assembled members of 13 families who started a communal life in Bardibas.”
One can feel that life here is different than in other places. People of different castes live together here. All of them engage in some productive work, which is enough to meet their daily expenses. For example, they do collective farming by renting land. Some run a cooperative, others an FM station. “We were also involved in a spice business (Ruchi Masala Udhyog) and were running a computer shop. But these businesses shut down after the blockade,” informs Pokharel.
13 families depend on this commune for their basic needs such as food, clothing and shelter
While selecting members, those who believe in the communist philosophy are given priority. Families of ‘martyrs’ are free to join the commune. Every family is given a room. People of different castes and communities like Tharu, Yadav, Mahato, Tamang, Bahun and Chhetri are living together in the commune.
“We follow a simple lifestyle here. There are no fights. The commune is everything for us. I am happy living like this,” says Pushpa Lata Koirala, an old member.
Adharshila’s patron and Nepal Communist Party Spokesperson Narayan Kaji Shrestha argues that this type of communal living model should be implemented in other places too. “This should a party agenda. But since hundreds of thousands of our party members are without any responsibilities, it is hard at the moment to bring this matter to the party’s attention,” he says.
During the Maoist insurgency, the rebels had run similar communes in places like Rukum and Rolpa where they had a strong hold. However, none of these communes are active now.
Farwestern: Learning the ropes of federalism
Dhangadi : Bhim Bahadur Saud, the mayor of Parshuram municipality in the district of Dadeldhura, always talks to his staff and makes decisions based on consensus. “So far, there hasn’t been any tussle between the bureaucrats and elected representatives. I don’t discriminate against anyone or break rules. Nor does the chief administrative officer, the main bureaucrat in the municipality. So there’s no question of a tussle,” says Saud.
Dadeldhura is the home district of former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba. The municipality is named after Lord Parshuram, who is said to have meditated there. There are 12 wards in the municipality. Only Basauti in ward 2 is still unconnected by a road. “The road to link Basauti is being constructed at a rapid pace. All other wards are all connected,” says Saud.
The municipality is also building a business complex at Laldhunga with an investment of Rs 60 million. “All sorts of things, including commercial fertilizers, will be available there. It’ll be the first complex of its kind in the far-western hills,” claims Saud. “Development doesn’t take long if there’s a cordial relationship between the bureaucrats and elected representatives. I don’t put any bureaucrat under any pressure. But I do emphasize the importance of obeying laws and rules,” says Saud.
In many places, the disputes between locally elected representatives and bureaucrats have come to the fore. But Parshuram municipality has been a model of good coordination between the two. As a result, there is better spending on infrastructure. And it's not just the budget allocated to the municipality that's being properly utilized. Even the Department of Urban Development is building pilgrim rest houses with an investment of Rs 200 million. A covered hall is being built at a cost of Rs50 million. As many as 500 projects selected this year are being implemented.
Tikapur municipality in the district of Kailali offers another example of good coordination between bureaucrats and elected representatives. “If the bureaucrats work with dedication, they don’t have to face pressure from elected representatives. How can disputes arise in such a situation?”
Also Read:
Province 1: Learning the ropes of federalism
Province 2: Learning the ropes of federalism
Province 3: Learning the ropes of federalism
Gandaki: Learning the ropes of federalism
Province 5: Learning the ropes of federalism
Karnali: Learning the ropes of federalism
Karnali: Learning the ropes of federalism
Surkhet: Every April, Kamal Budha of Jumla Patarasi goes to Patan to collect Yarshagumba, an activity that involves considerable risks but that helps Kamal manage his households and study costs. Just by collecting Yarshagumba, a Himalayan herb also known as Sanjeevani Booti because of its (real or perceived) medicinal value, Kamal, who studies in Surkhet, earns around Rs 100,000 in two months. “One piece fetches as much as Rs 1,000 and all that I collect get sold. Since this is our source of income, I go to collect it every year with my family.” Not just Kamal, but most people from Karnali go to Patan from April to June every year and collect herbs worth millions of rupees. Karnali has Yarshagumba worth billions but no processing center. In fact, the entire country doesn’t have such a center.
And so hundreds of precious herbs like Yarshagumba are sent abroad for extremely low prices. Yarshagumba, Jatamasi, Chiraito, Satuwa and red mushroom get collected in Karnali. Other districts in the province also produce herbs like Timur, Tejpat, Kaulo, Chiuri and Rittha worth millions of rupees. But because there are no processing facilities, these herbs get exported in their raw forms for a pittance.
In the first week of July last year, local representatives of Province 6 got together in Birendranagar for a two-day discussion on provincial prosperity, and issued a declaration, which read, “Herbs are the backbone of this province’s economy. For the prosperity of the entire province, we are committed to give top priority to herbs.” The elected representatives made a commitment to invest in the production, processing and commercialization of herbs.
Around 7,500 types of herbs are found in the province. As their annual business is worth billions of rupees, they have the capacity to dramatically transform the economy of not just the province but the entire country. Dhan Bahadur Rawat, President of Surkhet Chamber of Commerce and Industry, claims that if the herbs can be processed locally, Karnali will the most prosperous province in the country.
Also Read:
Province 1: Learning the ropes of federalism
Province 2: Learning the ropes of federalism
Province 3: Learning the ropes of federalism
Gandaki: Learning the ropes of federalism
