Sher Bahadur Deuba-led government’s quest to make populist decisions before completing its term has inadvertently pushed it to release a martyrs’ list already announced by previous governments, said a former minister.

On January 25 the Cabinet declared a list of 57 martyrs, including 38 killed in an ambush by then revolutionists CPN-Maoist in Bandarmude Madi, Chitwan district. Embarrassingly for the government, most of them were already announced martyr by Madhav Kumar Nepal-led government in 2010.

The Nepal-led government had announced the 38 victims of Madi blast as martyrs. The incident on June 6, 2005 had also injured 75 others.

“The incumbent government has not bothered to look into the recent history before announcing the list of martyrs. This is disrespect to martyrs,” Rakam Chemjong who was Peace Minister in Nepal-led government told the Post. “Not just those from Madi incident, but many others have been declared martyr twice.” He claimed that those killed by then Panchayati government in Chhintang, Dhankuta district, on November 13, 1979, were declared martyrs by the Deuba government on January 12, 2018 had been previously declared martyrs by Krishna Prasad Bhattarai led government back in 1999.

 In past one month, the incumbent government has given martyr status to 400 people killed mainly during the Maoist insurgency as its desperate to make populist decisions before it completes it term.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission has already warned the government and the other parties not to meddle in its jurisdiction by announcing those killed during the decade-long insurgency as martyrs.

Over 7,000 people have been declared martyrs by different governments so far.