21 January 2022, Kathmandu
We the undersigned strongly object to the statement made by Federal Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Renu Yadav on 19 January at a political event in Gaur of Rautahat District, where she threatened opponents with targeted killing and made incendiary remarks that have the potential of sparking social unrest.
- The well-known Gaur Massacre of 21 March 2007 was a mass killing conducted by the then Madheshi People’s Rights Forum, where 28 Maoist cadre lost their lives. In her speech of 19 January, Minister Yadav publicly acknowledged her party’s involvement in the massacre even as the perpetrators of that barbaric episode remain outside the purview of law, and impunity rages on in the country.
- At the same event, publicly available video clips show Minister Yadav threatening a repeat of the Gaur Massacre by encircling and targeting Chandra Kant Raut (CK Raut), Chair of the Janamat Party. We are clear that a person who cannot hold the dignity of a minister’s position, demonstrates criminal mindset, and publicly concedes to acts of murder, is ineligible to retain any position of public responsibility.
- The fact that a sitting minister can threaten target killings, and also proudly take ownership of a massacre, is the result of the unchecked lack of accountability in the country. Meanwhile, the fact that the Government has failed to show interest or concern three full days after Minister Yadav’s harsh words became public knowledge raises the question whether she was expressing the Government’s own point-of-view and attitude. The first duty of any government is to give citizens a sense of the existence of rule of law, and Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba must take the lead in fulfilling this responsibility. Accordingly, we demand that Prime Minister Deuba immediately relieve Minister Yadav of her post and move to start legal proceedings against her.
Signatories:
- Kedar Narsingh KC
- Charan Prasai
- Ganesh Kumar Mandal
- Sushil Pyakurel
- Taranath Dahal
- Indra Prasad Aryal
- Mahamunishwar Acharya
- Kanak Mani Dixit