At least 100 of the Nepalis who joined the Russian army are not in contact with their families
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Their relatives have been on hunger strike for 11 days demanding the rescue of Nepalis who have joined the Russian army. On Monday, they protested in front of the Russian Embassy with 13 demands, including cancellation of the agreement. During the demonstration, the police arrested Kritu Bhandari, the coordinator of the survival campaign of Nepalese who are attached to the Russian army, Sirani Gharti Magar of Rukum, Usha Khatri, Rosi Pun, Devendra Bhatt and Mohan Bhatt. Police said they were released in the evening.
Bhandari, Magar and Kisan Thapa have been on hunger strike at Ratnapark since April 7. The families of Nepalis who have joined the Russian army have been supporting them by fasting. The families and relatives of the Nepalis who have joined the Russian army are demanding that they should be rescued and brought to Nepal safely. They demand that proper compensation and salary allowance should be provided to the Nepalis injured in the war, 5 prisoners of war who are under the occupation of Ukraine should be safely rescued, the body of the deceased should be brought and the salary allowance received from the Russian army along with compensation should be provided.
Similarly, they have also demanded that the methods and procedures to investigate the disappearances should be announced and brought to the implementation level immediately, and the data of Nepalis working in the Russian army should be made public. They need to identify the middlemen who sent them to Russia under temptation and take immediate action, form a ministerial coordination committee for the rescue, relief and rehabilitation of the victim's family, arrange for the rehabilitation of the youth who returned from the Russian army and proper care of the victim's family, in countries with diplomatic relations, Nepal should allow its citizens to serve in the military without a military contract. They have also demanded that initiatives should be taken not to recruit.
Coordinator Bhandari said that the government was not serious about the Nepalis who were recruited into the Russian army, so they were forced to go on a fast to death. "Since the beginning, we have been asking to break the contract agreement and bring it to the country. Nepalis are at risk every second in Russia. However, the government in Kathmandu is pretending to be sleeping," she said. "Until the government addresses our demands, we will remain on hunger strike." 36 Nepalis have died in Russia-Ukraine war. The family of the deceased has not even been able to find the body. Maitman, the husband of Sirani, who is on hunger strike, has not been in touch since last December 12. He reached Russia on October 7, spending 12 lakh rupees. He complains that the state does not see them. The government gave approval and just left. He went from the airport of Nepal. Our elders have gone without taking work permit. But if the state did not have the system to give permission, they would not have gone," she said. "However, the state did not take our case seriously."
