Kathmandu, August 28

The three-member taskforce of the Untied Democratic Madhesi Front today met Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Bimalendra Nidhi and told him to immediately implement issues related to point no 2 of the three-point agreement.

In the three-point agreement that the Nepali Congress and the CPN-Maoist Centre signed with the Federal Alliance, they committed to give martyrdom status to those who were killed during Madhes movement, form a probe panel and withdraw false cases against UDMF cadres, among others.

Task-force member Manish Kumar Suman, who is also general secretary of Sadbhawana Party said Nidhi told them that the government was committed to the three-point agreement and it was also concerned about moving the constitutional amendment bill as soon as possible.

Nidhi told the taskforce that the government would soon name other members in the Girish Chandra Lal Commission, according to Suman.

Other member of the taskforce Ram Naresh Ray, senior leader of Tarai Madhes Sadbhawana Party-Nepal said DPM Nidhi told them that he would consult the Attorney General and officials of the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs tomorrow on the proposal to withdraw cases against the agitating parties.

Nidhi told the task-force that the government could withdraw some of the cases soon, but it would have to follow more procedures to withdraw other cases, according to Ray.

Nidhi also told the task-force members to give the names of people who were indicted during Madhes movement so that the government could verify those names.

The task-force members told Nidhi to give 16 more people martyrdom status, including Indian citizen Ashish Ram, to which Nidhi said his ministry was collecting evidences required for the same.

“We told the DPM that during 2006 popular movement, Indian citizen Mohmmed Jehangir who was killed by police in Kalanki was declared martyr and the same principle should apply in the case of Indian citizen Ashish Ram who was killed in police during the Madhes movement in Birgunj,” Ray added.

Ray said the UDMF would give more than 1,000 names of people who were indicted by the administration. He said the government only had a list of 394 people facing indictment.

Ray said the DPM told the task-force that the government would provide facilities to those who were maimed on par with facilities it provides to differently-abled people.

“But we told the DPM that those who were maimed during the movement should be treated as living martyrs,” Ray added.