Rajbiraj, June 29

Families of the martyrs, injured and disappeared persons during the decade-long insurgency in Province 2 have accused the local government of discriminatory behaviour while distributing different facilities.

They held a press conference to voice their concerns in the district headquarters, Rajbiraj, today.

Speaking at the conference they accused the Ministry of Land Management, Agriculture and Cooperatives of the province of ignoring them altogether while providing cows and buffaloes to the victims of the Madhes agitation.

They said they would submit memorandum to the chief minister and the prime minister through the chief district officer tomorrow.

They have warned of an agitation in all eight districts of the province if their demands are not met.

According to Martyrs, Disappeared and Injured Family committee Saptari Chairperson Rita Chaudhary, a total of 28 persons lost their lives during the Maoist conflict in the district.

“Besides the dead, seven persons are still missing, but the provincial government now seems to be favouring only the families who lost their near and dear ones in the Madhes agitation, which is unfair,” said Chaudhary.

Saying that the discrimination was an insult to those who sacrificed their lives in the decade-long ‘revolution’, the families asked the provincial government to include them in the cows and buffaloes distribution programme.

On the occasion, the committee adviser and Nepal Communist Party (NCP) provincial committee member Arun Kumar Shah identified the distribution procedure of the provincial government as ‘discriminatory’.

“Our demand is simple. The families of the martyrs, injured and those who disappeared during the decade-long Maoist insurgency must be treated on a par with the victims of the Madhes agitation,” said Shah.

Meanwhile, the concerned provincial ministry has denied any discrimination among people.

“We had called for applications from the target families through newspapers. We are also providing facilities to those who had submitted their application,” said an official at the ministry.