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Agitation
for Land: Freed Kamaiyas Injured
Police
intervened in a protest demonstration staged by the freed Kamaiyas
demanding 10 Katthas of land as part of their rehabilitation on Nov. 24
leaving as many as 15 freed Kamaiyas injured.
Angered
by the lackadaisical attitude of the government towards their
rehabilitation, especially the land issue, hundreds of freed Kamaiyas
marched in a procession towards the local Land Reforms Office to stage a
sit in pressing for the fulfillment of their demand. The police tried to
stop them thereby prompting a scuffle, according to the Kamaiya Liberation
Movement Mobilization Committee (KLMMC).
However,
the Land Reforms Officer claims that police intervened only after the
demonstrators started vandalizing the office and that no one was injured
in the incident.
With
their demand for land falling into the deaf ear, agitated freed Kamaiyas
staged sit in in front of the District Development Committee offices and
Land Reforms Offices in all five districts in western Nepal-Kailali,
Kanchanpur, Banke, Bardiya and Dang on Nov. 24.
The
KLMMC and the Kamaiya Liberation Action Committee have issued a joint
press release condemning the use of force against the demonstrators and
warning of serious consequences (should the government fail to fulfil
their demand soon).
Government
officials concerned say that the distribution of identification cards to
the freed (registered) Kamaiyas has reached its final phase, while the ILO
has recently announced an assistance of Nepalese rupees 250 million for
the rehabilitation of the freed Kamaiyas.
However,
both the identification card distribution and ILO announcement have
created controversy. For the NGOs working for the good of the freed
Kamaiyas are saying that the government has failed to register the names
of all freed Kamaiyas and that the ILO announcement is likely to hamper
the movement for land.
They
say that even if organizations like ILO intend to help the Kamaiyas, they
should do so only after the government provides the freed Kamaiyas with
land as per their demand.
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