Nagarkot, June 18:

Victims of the Nagarkot massacre are demanding employment and free education for their children.

The victims raised their demands after the government didn’t act as per the recommendations made by the committee formed to probe the massacre. Eleven locals were killed and over twenty-four people injured when a Nepali Army personnel, Bashudev Thapa, opened fire during a festival at the Kalika temple on December 14, 2005.

The Nagarkot Belbari Massacre Probe Committee, formed under the coordination of parliamentarian Pari Thapa, had recommended the government to provide Rs 1 million each to families of the dead persons, Rs six lakh to each of the seriously injured and Rs 25,000 each to those who were slightly injured in the firing. But the victims have yet to receive the compensation pledged by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Jagat Bahadur Tamang, a resident of Nagarkot-9, lost his left eye during the incident. Tamang, a seventh-grader then, has aborted studies due to financial constraints. Talking to this daily today, he said, “I received Rs 1.5 lakh in two phases, but the money went towards the treatment of my eye.”

“The government should manage employment for family members of the victims and provide treatment to the injured,” he said.

Phhuchi Tamang, a 17-year-old girl, sustained bullet injuries on her leg and body. She got Rs 75,000 in compensation. Tamang has been suffering from problems of the urinary tract. She asked: “Who will take care of me after the death of my parents?”

“The government should provide us jobs and fund our studies so that we can live on our own.”

Sukumaya Tamang, a mother of two daughters, doesn’t want to remember the night her husband Kale Tamang was shot dead. Her eldest daughter is five years old and another one is 18 months old. She asked, “How can I go for work leaving such young children alone at home?”

“The government should provide us with pension and free education for my children.” She has received three lakh rupees in two phases.

Many victims are yet to get the promised amount. The victims are facing physical, mental and economic problems due to injuries. They have threatened to organise protests if their demands are ignored and the amount pledged is not handed over to them on time.