Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal on Monday directed the authorities concerned to act promptly for resolving the problem. Earlier a Kiranti delegation had met the prime minister demanding burial grounds. [break]Kiranti people also demonstrated on Sunday and Monday at Gaushala protesting a recent ban on the use Sleshmantak forests as their burial grounds.
Ministry of Culture and Federal Affairs (MOCFA) has called a meeting of stakeholders at Singha Durbar for Tuesday morning to discuss an alternative burial grounds in the capital, officials said.
During his meeting with the Kiranti delegation, Prime Minister Nepal had specifically directed Home Minister Bhim Rawal to arrange burial of three bodies at Sleshmantak forests.
Kirant Co-ordination Council (KCC) had taken to the streets following the December 29 decision of Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT) to disallow burial of the dead from other than the Hindu Dashanami community.
“We have not been contacted yet, but we hope they will come up with a solution by tomorrow morning,” said Chatur Bhakta Rai, the KCC chairman.
On Sunday, Kirantis had blocked vehicular movement at Gaushala, the entry point to the Pashupati Area, when the PADT prevented burial of the body of one Jasa Ram Rai. A dozen protesters were injured in a clash with police in the course of protest. Police had also fired three tear-gas canisters and briefly detained 16 protestors including two Maoist lawmakers.
Burial ground: A long-standing problem
PADT had imposed a partial ban in the use of Sleshmantak forests for burials in December years after the site was declared filled up.
“There is no more space for digging graves,” said Narottam Baidya, PADT treasurer. “But as the site is primarily and traditionally meant for the Dashanami community, we cannot ban the site for them. Assigning the site for the last rites of the Dashanami community is considered part of traditional practice in the Pashupati area.”
Baidya also said that the PADT supports the demand of the Kirant and other communities regarding their demand for an alternative burial ground.
Two years ago when the same problem had arisen, the government had reached an agreement with the KCC promising that an alternative site would be arranged within six months. “The agreement, however, was not implemented,” said Rai.
“Then the government had apologized to us after the PADT interfered. Now the PADT has again tried to monopolize use of the place, sidelining our community,” Rai added.
Meanwhile, our Udaypur correspondent Maheswar Chamling Rai reported that ethnic minorities residing in Gaighat shut down the marketplace Monday to protest the decision by PADT to bar burial of members of the Kirant community in the Pashupatinath area.
The shutdown enforcers said barring members of the Kirant community from burial at Sleshmantak forests -- a practice that dates back centuries -- means encroaching upon the cultural and religious rights of the Kirants by Hindus and a mockery of the secular state.
Related story
Ukraine searches for its dead at Russian occupation burial site
