Jogimara, December 22:

The families of 36 daily wage labourers working for the construction of Suntharali Airport in Kotwada of Kalikot district who were killed by the security forces during an operation against Maoists some seven years ago are yet to get any compensation.

National and international human rights bodies had lodged strong protests over the workers’ death and the government had promised to pay compensation to the families, but nothing has been done so far.

Among the 36 killed in the incident, 18 were from Jogimara of Dhading district. Security personnel had allegedly killed 36 persons, including two from Kavre district, one each from Ramechhap, Makwanpur, Solukhumbu, Bhojpur, Morang, Tanahun, Ilam and Gorkha districts and eight residents of Kotwada.

Villagers in Gairigaun, Thansingh, Satibhanjyang, Deurali, Bumrang, Osrang and Goirang of Jogimara VDC are still mourning the loss of their acquaintances who were slaughtered on the suspicion of being Maoists.

“Except for some financial help by non-government organisations, the bereaved families got nothing,” said Gyan Bahadur Biswakarma who lost two sons in that incident. He added that 10 young women in Jogimara became widows because of the massacre.

Chitra Bahadur Praja, 60, who was killed in the incident, has left behind his aged wife Sukumaya who works as a daily wage labourer to stay afloat. She said: “Except for a tiny plot to plant maize on, I have nothing.”

Dhading MP Rajendra Prasad Pandey kept raising the issue of the massacre in parliament repeatedly. The then prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba had promised that the bereaved families would get compensation, but the promise has remained only on paper.