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Maoists with sticks and black flags disrupting
the Nepal March for Education |
12 September 2009, Nepalgunj, Nepal – On the fifth day of the march, Satrughan Prashad Singh, Minister of Tourism and Culture and Deputy Minister Civil Aviation of Nepal came to welcome the Nepal March for Education in Nepalganj in the Terai region of Nepal. The child marchers, mainly former child labourers, bonded child labourers, victims of trafficking and exploited children were leading the Nepal March for Education, chanting slogans ‘Nepal Padh cho, Aage Baadh cho’ (Nepal will read, Nepal will develop). An angry mob of Maoists in motorcycles, on foot armed with sticks and back flags disrupted the children’s rally. Shouting anti-government slogans, the Maoists even manhandled the children. Though no one was seriously hurt, the Maoists were successful in disturbing the March in Nepalgunj with the hos organizations leading the children away from the Maoist mob to a safe location and the Deputy Minister leaving the programme midway.
The public meeting was organised in Birendra Chowk of Nepalgunj in which Satrughan Prashad Singh, Minister of Tourism and Culture and Deputy Minister Civil Aviation of Nepal, Dilli Bahadur Chaudhary BASE President, Bhuwan Ribhu BBA India activist, Jay Banjade BASE International Representative, PABSAN representative RP Gautam, Nepal Teacher Union President Balram Yadav, Nepal Teacher Union representative Mrs. Krishna Pathak, and Rajkumari Chaudhary, 13 year old former child labourer were addressing the 20,000 participants. |
