The murder of Nepal Sadbhavana Party (NSP) mayoral candidate, Bijay Lal Das in Janakpur by the Maoists on Sunday has raised serious questions on the credibility of the Maoists.
Maoists have been continuing their violent activities and targeting candidates of municipal poll notwithstanding with their public commitment not to do so.
According to reports, local Maoist leader, Jivan (means, Life), called up journalists and owned up responsibility for the killing, saying that the action was as per the “party’s policy.”
Maoist chairman Prachanda (File Photo)
In a statement issued on Monday, Chief of the United Nations Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Nepal, Ian Martin said, “I urge the leadership of the CPN (Maoist) to state publicly and to all its cadres that it is against the policy of the Party for any unarmed civilian to be killed, including candidates and officials in the municipal elections.”
However, Maoists are yet to respond to Martin’s call and make public their official position.
Earlier, in response to the clarification sought by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Nepal, the Maoist leadership had assured that the party had not instructed its cadres to abduct or kill those participating in the elections despite its call for disrupting the polls.
However, reports from various districts say Maoist cadres are threatening local people not to take part in the municipal polls.
During an interaction with journalists early this week, Seti -Mahakali bureau in charge and central committee member of the CPN (Maoist), Lekh Raj Bhatta, warned that Maoists could take actions including death penalty against anybody who take part in the municipal polls.
Earlier, Maoists had announced various programmes to disrupt the municipal polls including special action against people associated with the municipal poll but made it clear that disruption does not mean physical action against the candidates or people associated with the elections.
Early this month, the UN OHCHR, in a statement said, “The OHCHR has received an assurance from the leadership of the CPN (M) that the announcement of their action to disrupt municipal elections “should by no means imply that our cadres have been instructed to abduct or kill those participating in the elections.”
Talking to Nepalnews, chairman of Human Rights Organization of Nepal (HURON)– a leading rights group– Charan Prasain said the recent act of Maoist had given rise to suspicion over their commitment.
“It seems that there is contradiction in their public commitment and their deed, which will harm their movement as well,” he added.
Body of NSP leader Bijay Lal Das after he was shot from close range in Janakpur on Sunday (Photo courtesy : Rahul Singhaniya, Janakpur)
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has also condemned the Maoists’ act of killing people saying, “The killing, which came despite commitment from the Maoist leadership towards honouring human rights and international humanitarian laws, is condemnable.”
Maoists have been targeting the municipalities and government offices ahead of the municipal polls.
The seven agitating political parties and Maoists had signed an agreement to refrain from violence and join the politics of competition late last year.
Maoists withdrew their four-month-long unilateral ceasefire on January 2 and have been increasing their violent activities ever since.
The seven agitating political parties are also actively boycotting the municipal polls. Unfortunately, there has been no word from them regarding physical attack on possible candidates and destruction of public property including municipal offices by the rebels.
In its editorial on Tuesday, leading Nepali daily Kantipur wrote: “The murder of an unarmed civilian is the worst form of individual or political revenge. It breeds fear and terror. It diverts the political movement towards non-political one and obstructs the process of (new political) polarisation in the country.”
The daily further said, “Maoists must give up their act of targeting civilians immediately in order to sustain importance of the 12-point understanding to provide a democratic way out to the country.”
Now the question is, “Will the Maoists heed?”