Valley
Ganga Maya ends her fast
Justice seeker Ganga Maya Adhikari on Friday ended her indefinite hunger strike on the 46th day after the government pledged to implement agreements it made with her in the past.Justice seeker Ganga Maya Adhikari on Friday ended her indefinite hunger strike on the 46th day after the government pledged to implement agreements it made with her in the past.
She seeks justice for her son Krishna Prasad Adhikari, murdered 14 years ago during the insurgency in Nepal.
Ganga Maya, 61, drank the juice offered to her by National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Chairman Anup Raj Sharma to end the hunger strike.
“This is not the end of my hunger strike, but only postponement,” she said, before Minister for Law Justice and Parliament Affairs Sher Bahadur Tamang signed the agreement paper in the presence of human rights workers, and media persons at the Intensive Care Unit of Bir Hospital.
“Though the government deceived me earlier over a dozen times by only promising and not fulfilling the agreement, I have given assurance the government would not do so this time. I will resume my fast-unto-death if the government fails to address my demands in the next 10 days.”
She said her husband Nanda Prasad Adhikari died because of the government’s apathy to their minor demand of action against the person who murdered their son. She recalled the missing of her son and capture of her house and property.
“I have died several times while still alive. The fake assurances given to me by offering juice has already killed me several times. I decided to give one last chance at the request of human rights activists. I do not want anyone to come and save me if my demands are not fulfilled this time,” she said.
Ganga Maya, who is being administered saline water through her throat, broke down as she spoke. Moved by her state, Minister Tamang became emotional and said, “The government will fully implement the agreement reached with you. Trust us, you will get justice.”
Ganga Maya had already staged several rounds of hunger strike seeking justice for her son for the past 13 years.
Adhikari and her husband, Nanda Prasad, had first begun their hunger strike in front of the Prime Minister’s official residence in Baluwatar in January 2013.
They started their second hunger strike the following month and ended it on the 47th day following an agreement with the government, which assured action against some suspects, including Parshuram Paudel, but they were later released.
Nanda Prasad died after 329 days of the hunger strike on September 22, 2014 at the Hospital. Even after losing her husband, Ganga Maya had continued her hunger strike for 360 days until the government signed a five-point deal with her in October 2015.