Photo Essays
4 MIN READ
The coronavirus pandemic brought a faint hope for some that their family members who disappeared during the People’s War might finally return
When the coronavirus hit, a crisis began to loom all over the world. People started to panic. The socioeconomic lives of many came to a halt, abruptly. The long days of lockdown began and people were stuck within their four walls. Those in the midst of their families had emotional support, but those far from their families became emotionally vulnerable. People who had migrated looked for ways to get back home by any means possible.
A massive reverse migration began. Emotionally shattering stories swept through media platforms. Thousands of migrant workers walked all the way from Solukhumbu to Kailali, desperate to get back home. Many were returning back home from the alleyways of various Indian cities for the first time in decades. Long lost family members returned to their villages to seek refuge on their ancestral lands, and to be reunited with their families.
This was their last hope.
Everyone wanted to be home during such days of despair. But even in the midst of this remigration, there were families whose family members never returned. In particular, those who were forcefully disappeared during the decade long conflict in Nepal never came back. Their family members remained in wait, hopeful that the pandemic would finally bring them back.
From 1996 to 2006, Nepal witnessed a People’s War which claimed the lives of 17,000 people. The human toll of the armed conflict was profound. Hundreds were raped and an estimated 20,000 tortured. No Nepali family was spared from being affected by the events of the conflict. In this, a staggering 1,530 disappeared. Since the end of the conflict, limited support has been provided to survivors and the families of the disappeared.
A Comprehensive Peace Accord was signed on November 21, 2006 between the government and the Maoist party. It brought ‘peace’ in the nation and achieved many political goals, ranging from federalism to a new constitution. However, 14 years have passed and while there have been 11 prime ministers, none have put sincere effort into locating the disappeared.
Both commissions that were formed to investigate the conflict are now outdated. The discourse on transitional justice has approached memory, truth, and justice in legal terms where the experiences of acute loss of individuals and families are often lost. Absent are the personal accounts of survivors and the families of the victims.
Click for enlargement
::::::::::
Bikkil Sthapit Bikkil Sthapit is a rights activist and a photographer. Lately, his works have revolved around the issues of the enforced disappeared people during the People's War. He's also the founder of an oral history initiative SunaMeroKatha.com.
Features
5 min read
The mass-quarantine centres in Nepal are only adding to the suffering of migrant workers returning from India
COVID19
News
3 min read
A daily summary of all Covid19 related developments that matter.
News
20 min read
Buyers of units in high-rises and colonies continue to get ripped off by developers because the authorities have turned a blind eye to the sector’s problems
Features
5 min read
Clumping together gender identity and sexual orientation into one category in the census is misrepresentative say some members of the queer community, but there are others who see it as an opportunity
News
4 min read
In two separate incidents in recent times, frontline workers have been assaulted and beaten up by relatives of patients.
News
5 min read
As the Communist Party Nepal-UML splits into two, political turmoil resurfaces in Province 1 and uncertainty looms over the future of incumbent chief minister Sher Dhan Rai.
Explainers
5 min read
Khatiwada spoke about the budget allocation for the health sector and income tax rates in Nepal. While talking about the two issues, he made false and misleading claims.
News
3 min read
Leaders across the political spectrum react to hastily enforced ordinances
