Kathmandu, April 9

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli today said the incumbent government would formulate a plan to conduct a study on martyrs as a study committee was formed for the same.

Speaking at a programme organised by CPN UML Ilam-Kathmandu Liaison Forum on the occasion of the 37th Memorial Day of martyr Ratna Kumar Bantawa at party headquarters in Sanepa today, PM Oli reminded that Bantawa had fought against then Panchayat system.

He said Bantawa was recently declared martyr after 37 years of his death. The government on March 2 had declared 22 democracy fighters, including Bantawa, as martyrs.

PM Oli further said Bantawa, unlike other freedom fighters, was not immediately included in the martyrs’ list as the previous mechanism arbitrarily gave away martyrdom status. It lacked objective study on martyrs, he argued. A committee was recently formed under the chairmanship of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Bhim Bahadur Rawal for proper evaluation of freedom fighters.

On the occasion, PM Oli released a book titled ‘Purbako Rato Tara’ (Red Star from the East) penned by party general secretary Ishwar Pokharel. The book is about Bantawa’s struggle.

Speaking at the programme, party senior leader and former prime minister Jhalanath Khanal said the Panchayat system and monarchy were abolished because they were against the freedom fighters like Bantawa.

Another party leader and former Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal said Bantawa had sacrificed his life for the betterment of the society. He added that the task of declaring martyr was sensitive and should not be done arbitrarily. He urged the government to implement the report prepared by notable literary figure and cultural expert Modnath Prashrit in this regard.

Remembering Bantawa, party general secretary and writer of the book, Ishwar Pokharel, shared that he penned the book as he had an unforgettable camaraderie with the former.

Also speaking at the programme, former speaker and party leader Subas Nembang praised Bantawa’s contribution for the development of the leftist movement in Nepal. Hikmat Karki, CPN UML’s Mechi zone in-charge, opined for developing Bantawa’s birth place, Chamaita Chitre of Ilam, as a tourist destination.