Dhangadhi, August 25 :

Maintaining that the agreement made with the government on July 23 had not been implemented, freed bonded labourers today padlocked the Land Reforms Offices in Dang, Banke, Bardiya, Kailali and Kanchanpur for an indefinite period.

Minister for Land Reforms and Management, Prabahu Narayan Chaudhari, and representatives of the Freed Bonded Labourers (freed Kamaiyas) Central Struggle Committee had, on July 23, agreed to form a high-level committee with the representation of freed bonded labourers in a month, provide land to the freed labourers in the place where they had been living, scrap the concept of land bank, provide identity cards to freed bonded labourers and conduct free health camps in freed bonded labourers’ camps.

Chairperson of the struggle committee, Sundara Tharu, secretary Dutta Chaudhari, and treasurer Sitaram Chaudhari, issuing a statement today, said they would call human rights activists, political parties, journalists and civil society to express solidarity with their cause on August 30, gherao the Singh Durbar, stage a chakkajam on August 31 and close the Land Reforms Offices, DDCs, DAOs in all five development regions for an indefinite period from September 7 on.

The freed labourers said they would launch protests in Dang, Banke, Bardiya, Kailali and Kanchanpur.