(Nepali version given below)
"FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE"
PRESS RELEASE
"Dr. CK Raut was attacked by Nepal
Police during peaceful mass assembly"
Jhapa, Nepal 4th April, 2015, Saturday, Nepal police intervened in a peaceful mass assembly of Madheshi activists around 14:00 at the aboriginal place of Madheshis in Rajgadh Market of Jhapa district, used excessive force on Dr. CK Raut along his supporters. Police arrested him along five dozen of activists working for freedom of Madhesh.
Later, Dr. Raut was admitted in hospital due to injury. Police have disrupted the peaceful assembly by unlawfully arresting Dr. Permeshwor Murmu, Dr. Sanjay Sah, Ram Bilash Mehta, Soren Sharma, Bishweshwor Mandal, Tabrej Alam, Tapeshwor Lal Karn, Asha Jha, Ashok Mehta, Jiban Gupta, Shyamanand Sharma, Shotelal Shoren and a dozens of other civilians. Nepal police blocked members to attend the assembly who were coming from villages based on black skin color.
Thousands of supporters who came from villages to participate in the peaceful assembly were harassed by the police on their way. Anyone of dark complexion who looked like Madheshi, an ethnic minority group of Nepal, going for the general assembly were harassed and physically manhandled by the Nepal police. This is a racially motivated aggression of the police towards the minority ethnic group and it exposes the color discriminating mentality of Nepal Police. The Government of Democratic Republic of Nepal is using excessive force to disturb the peaceful assembly of aboriginal ethnic minority civilians.
The Government of Nepal (GoN) shows no concern or support for the legitimate case of the peaceful participants like Dashrath Mukhiya, an aboriginal of Jhapa who has become landless in his own native place. We need to be aware and proactive on these issues, otherwise people like him, and many more ethnic minorities of Madhesh will become landless refugees very soon in their own native land.
In the peaceful assembly, Dr. Raut asserted that the five districts of Madhesh (plain), naming, Jhapa, Morang, Sunsari, Kailali, Kanchanpur should not be merged with the Pahad (hill) districts because it defies the geographic logic and the desire of the majority of civilians living in those regions. Further, he challenged for a referendum on independence of Madhesh in the 22 districts of Madhesh.
Huge number armed forces are operating to disrupt the peaceful assembly since yesterday. The GoN has been using excessive force to disturb, harass, arrest and fire at civilians in the peaceful meetings since long time. GoN has been arresting the supporters and participants without any arrest warrants or on false accusation.
They have already falsely convicted Dr. Permeshwor Murmu, Hareram Mandal, Ram Bilash Mehta, Abdul Khan, Irfan Sheikh, Binod Sharraf and Pradip Thakur on false accusation of creating public unrest. Similarly, Santosh Patel (Journalist) of Birgunj, Rajesh Yadav, Rameshwor Sah and Saroj Karn etc are being threatened for their life or harsh consequences by the state security mechanism.
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Alliance for Independent Madhesh (AIM) is an alliance of Madheshi people, activists, parties and various organizations working for the independence of Madhesh, through non-violent and peaceful means following the principles of Buddha, Gandhi and Mandela. The alliance advocates an end to Nepali colonization, racism, slavery and discrimination imposed on Madheshis. It stands for three pillars: (a) Independent Madhesh (b) Democratic System, and (c) Peaceful and Non-violent Means.
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Acknowledging that the rights to freedom of speech, movement, peaceful assembly and association are the fundamental rights of all human beings everywhere, as also mandated by the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, of which Nepal is a signatory, we expect acknowledgement and assurance of our rights from the state and its agencies. We also appeal to all the state and non-state agencies, human-rights organisations, journalists, political parties, diplomats and international communities to oppose any violation of human rights by the state and its agencies.
Contact
Ass. Prof. Kailash Mahato
Sub-Coordinator Alliance for Independent Madhesh
Phone: +977-9847038322
email: save.madhesh@gmail.com
(तुरन्त वितरणका लागि)
प्रेस विज्ञप्ति
नेपाल प्रहरीको लाठी प्रहार बाट डा. सी. के. राउत घाइते र अस्पतालमा भर्ना
२०७१ चैत्र २१ शनिवार झापा, नेपाल- मधेशी आदिबासीका जन्मभुमि राजगढ़ बजार, झापामा अपराह्न २ बजे आयोजित शान्तिपूर्ण डा. सि. के. राउतको आमसभामा नेपाल प्रहरीले डा. सि. के. राउत लगायत दर्जनो कार्यकर्ता माथि अन्धाधुन लाठी प्रहार गरि गिरफ्तार गरेर लागेका छन्/ डा. सि. के. राउत अस्पताल मा भर्ना गरिए को जानकारी प्राप्त भए को छ
सभा बिथोल्न नेपाल प्रहरीले हिजो मन्च निर्माण गर्न अवरोध गरी जनताहरुलाई हिरासतमा राखी अनेकौ बहानामा यतना दिने काम गरेकाछन्। आज बिहान देखि आम सभामा सहभागी हुन गाउँ गाउँ बाट आउन लागेको हजारों कार्यकर्ता लाई प्रहरीले बाटोमा रोकी राखेको थियो। हरेक नाका बाट सभास्थल तिर जाने कालो रंगको मान्छे हेर्ने बित्तिके प्रहरीले समाएर रँगभेदी मानसिकता देखाए।
डा. परमेश्वर मुरमू, डा. संजय साह, राम बिलाश मेहता, सरोज शर्मा, विशेश्वर मण्डल, तबरेज आलम, तपेश्बर लाल कर्ण, आशा झा, आशोक मेहता, जिबन गुप्ता, श्यामानन्द शर्मा, छोटेलाल सोरेन लगायत दर्जनौ आमजनताहरु लाई प्रहरी प्रशासनले नियन्त्रणमा लिई आमसभा बिथोल्न खोजे।
लोकतान्त्रिक नेपाल सरकारको नाङ्गो हस्तछेपले शान्तिपूर्ण आमसभा बिथोले पनि जनसमुदायका बिचमा कार्यक्रमको संयोजक दशरथ मुखियाले झापा जिल्लामा मधेशी आदिबासी आफ़्नै जन्मभूमिमा सुकम्बासी भएका छन् , अहिले नै हामी सजग भएनो भने शरनार्थी हुनु पर्ने अवस्था आउने छ।
उक्त आम सभा सम्बोधन गर्दे डा. सी. के. राउतले मधेशका पाँच जिल्लाहरु (झापा,मोरंग, सुनसरी, कैलाली, कन्चनपुर ) कुनै पनि हालतमा पहाडी जिल्ला संग गाभिनु हुदैन र गाभिन जनमत संग्रह गर्ने भए मधेश का २२ जिल्लामा स्वन्त्र मधेशको लागि जनमत संग्रह गर्न चुनौती दिनु भयो।
स्वतन्त्र मधेश गठबन्धन बुद्ध, गांधी र मण्डेलाको अहिंषात्मक सिद्धान्तलाई अनुशरण गर्दै शान्तिपूर्ण मार्गद्वारा मधेशको स्वतन्त्रताको लागि कार्यरत रहेको कुरा सर्वविदित नै छ। गठबन्धनका तीन आधार स्तम्भहरू (क) स्वतन्त्र मधेश (ख) लोकतान्त्रिक व्यवस्था, र (ग) शान्तिपूर्ण एवम् अहिंषात्मक मार्ग अनुसार नै आफ्नो नीति निर्धारण र कार्यक्रमहरू गर्दै नेपाल सरकारको कुनै काममा तथा वर्तमान राजनैतिक प्रक्रियाहरूमा वाधा-अडचन नपुर्याई शान्तिपूर्ण एवम् संरचनात्मक रूपमा मधेशको विकास तथा सामाजिक उत्थानका लागि गठबन्धन हाल क्रियाशील रहेको छ। तर नेपाल सरकारले मधेशको राजनैतिक मुद्दालाई दबाउने र विमतिका सबै आवाजलाई निर्मूल पार्ने नीति अनुसार गठबन्धनका कार्यकर्ताहरूलाई फँसाउने षड्यन्त्र गर्दै आएको छ।
यसै क्रममा नेपाल सरकारबाट भएको उपरोक्त घटनाको स्वतन्त्र मधेश गठबन्धन घोर भर्त्सना गर्नुका साथै यस बारेमा देश-विदेशका पत्रकार, कुटनितिज्ञ, राजनैतिक पार्टी, वुद्धिजीवि, मानवअधिकारकर्मी लगायत सबैलाई जानकारी गराउन चाहन्छ। यस किसिमका दमनकारी क्रियाकलापले हाम्रो वाक्-स्वतन्त्रता, आवत-जावत गर्ने स्वतन्त्रता र भेला हुने स्वतन्त्रतामाथि हस्तक्षेप हुनुका साथै नेपाल सरकारद्वारा मानवाधिकारको हनन भइराखेको कुरा पनि जानकारी गराउन चाहन्छौं। सम्बन्धित व्यक्ति तथा संस्थाहरूले आ-आफ्नो ठाउँबाट नेपाल सरकारका यस्ता क्रियाकलापलाई निरूत्साहित गर्न तथा मानवअधिकारको रक्षा गर्न पहल गरिदिनुहुन पनि हामी हार्दिक अनुरोध गर्दछौं।
सम्पर्क
कैलाश महतो, उप-संयोजक, स्वतन्त्र मधेश गठबन्धन
फोन: +977-9847038322
इमेल: save.madhesh@gmail.com
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