KATHMANDU, AUGUST 24

Eight years after the Tikapur carnage, a shiny copper statue of Tek Bahadur Saud, an 18-month-old who lost his life in the Tikapur incident, was unveiled today.

The Minister of Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation Ranjita Shrestha and her husband Resham Lal Chaudhary unveiled the statue of Tek Bahadur Saud who lost his life in the incident in Tikapur on 23 August 2015.

Eight years ago, on the same day of the violent incident in Tikapur, Minister Shrestha who is also president of Nagarik Unmukti Party, unveiled the statue of the late child at the under-construction planetarium complex located at Block No 29, Ward No 1 of Tikapur Municipality. Minister Shrestha said, 'Let's not make Tikapur a hub of politics. Let's move towards the path of development in a virtuous environment. Such an unimaginable incident should never happen anywhere in Nepal. I express my deepest condolences to all the martyrs.'

Meanwhile, Resham Lal Chaudhary said, 'Today marks eight years of the Tikapur incident. There have been many political upheavals during these eight years. I request all to understand these incidents from the political point of view and maintain social harmony.'

Before the promulgation of the Constitution of Nepal on 23 August 2015, a demonstration demanding Tharuhat province turned violent, killing nine policemen and a child, including Senior Superintendent of Police Laxman Neupane. Tek Bahadur Saud's statue was made by Resham Lal Chaudhary, the patron of Nagarik Unmukti Party and handed over to the party.

Chaudhary also said that even after being elected member of the House of Representatives, he could not enter the Parliament for five years. 'The relationship between Nagarik Unmukti Party born from the Tikapur incident and Tek Bahadur Saud's family is cordial. Will anyone accept the murder accused Resham Lal and the father and grandfather of the child, who are on the same stage?,' Chaudhary said. Hugging Netra Saud, the father of the late child, Chaudhary said, 'After Ranjita became a minister, the Saud family blessed her by reaching the ministry. Tek Bahadur is also my son. Last year, I said I should make this happen, and I succeeded.'

He further said, 'Harmony should be established in Tikapur. Tikapur should not be crushed into pieces, but should rather be united. Don't let outsiders disrupt our peace and harmony.'

A version of this article appears in the print on August 25, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.