Demonstration against the holiday given to mark Maoist war anniversary

Conflict-affected communities have demonstrated in Kathmandu against the government’s move to grant public holiday on Falgun 1.

The government on February 12 had announced a public holiday for Monday to mark the Maoist war anniversary. This is the first time that the federal government announced a holiday to commemorate the decade-long armed conflict that began in 1996.

As called by the Maoists, the government has termed the war a “people’s war” while announcing the holiday. The term was a bone of contention in the constitution writing process.

Conflict victims and people associated with human rights organizations gathered in front of the Kathmandu District Court and demonstrated. They have demanded that the public holiday given in the name of People’s War Day should be canceled and justice should be given to the victims of the conflict.

In a brief conversation with media persons during the protest program, human rights activist Sushil Pyakurel said that it is too much to give a holiday as People’s War Day.

“I have not seen anywhere in the world celebrating the day when a party started violence, or the day when a revolution started,” he said.

But, the government has argued the war has made significant contributions to the country’s political evolvement.