KATHMANDU, MARCH 30

The hunger strike of Ganga Maya Adhikari, 61, of Bhujel village in Gorkha district, reached 100 days today. She has been staging the protest seeking justice for her teenage son, who was murdered 17 years ago.

Ganga Maya had started her hunger strike from December 21 last year at the National Trauma Centre of Bir Hospital, but the government has shown no interest in addressing her demands.

Ganga Maya's 18-year-old son Krishna Prasad was kidnapped and shot dead by the then Maoist insurgents in Chitwan on 6 June 2004. He was falsely accused of working as an informer for the government during the armed conflict.

Krishna Prasad was going to his maternal uncle's house in Chitwan from his hometown at Bhujel when he was abducted and killed.

Since then, Ganga Maya and her husband Nanda Prasad had staged various protests stating that their son was innocent, and he was framed by some of their neighbours due to family rivalry.

On 22 September 2014, Nanda Prasad died during a similar hunger strike on the 334th day of the hunger strike. His body is still in the mortuary of Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Maharajgunj.

Ganga Maya and her elder son Nur Prasad have refused to receive the body saying they will not perform the deceased's final rites until justice is served to Krishna Prasad.

After the death of Nanda Prasad, Ganga Maya has already staged three hunger strikes from Bir Hospital, the place where she has taken shelter for the last few years.

As the recent hunger strike has entered the 100th day, her health has rapidly started deteriorating as she is surviving on saline water.

Human Rights Activist Ganga Prasad Aryal, who has been urging the government to save the life of Ganga Maya, said that she is facing difficulty in speaking and moving her body parts as her health is deteriorating rapidly each day.

Aryal, also the chairman of Human Rights for Justice, issued a press release, saying that the government should immediately take initiative to address her demands or else the government would be accused of violating human rights.

A version of this article appears in the print on March 31, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.