It has been 46 years since the Chhintang massacre that claimed the lives of 16 farmers. The incident, in which 16 locals were killed in Khoku, Chhintang and Ankhisalla in the Khalsa area of ​​Dhankuta on charges of participating in an anti-panchayat agitation, is known as the 'Chhintang massacre'.

In memory of the martyrs who were killed during the 2036 BS farmers' movement, Martyrs' Week is celebrated by organizing various programs from Kartik 22 to 29 across the Sahidbhumi Rural Municipality of Dhankuta. To suppress the locals who had taken up the movement against hunger, the then government had carried out a special police operation in the then Khoku, Chhintang and Ankhisalla VDCs from Kartik 22 to 29, 2036 BS.

At that time, they were accused of participating in a campaign against the Panchayat system and were arrested, tortured and even killed. In the incident, 13 farmers from Chhintang and 3 from Ankhisalla, including two women and a minor, were killed. Those killed were Jhagendra Rai of Ankhisalla, Ganesh Bahadur Bishwakarma and student Kesharman Rai.

Similarly, Gopal Anand Rai, Tanka Bahadur Bishwakarma, Dhanbir Darji, Lakhman Sadhu Rai, Randhwaj Puma Rai, Ganga Bahadur Tuprihang Rai, Gambhirman Darji, Chandra Bahadur Darji, Shree Maya Rai (Hangkhima Sahili), Ram Kumari Rai, Bhairav ​​Bahadur Khaling Rai, Bal Bahadur Khatri and Putra Man Rai of Chhintang were killed. 38 years after the incident, in 2074 BS, the then government led by Sher Bahadur Deuba declared all 16 people as national martyrs in two phases.

The federal government had also announced that the dependent families would be given Rs 1 million as relief by declaring them as national martyrs. But the families of the martyrs complain that they have not received the relief money yet. Dik Bahadur Rai, the son of Gopal Anand Rai, the first martyr to be killed in the Chhintang massacre, complains that the state has repeatedly lied to them.

Martyr Gopal Ananda Rai was arrested on Kartik 27, 2036 by a police team led by the then Eastern Region Police Chief DB Lama and shot dead by him. DIG Lama led the operation from Chimrah.

The then Brigadier Shatrudhan Prasad Sinha of the Nepal Army, Chief District Officer Bir Bahadur Bhujel, DSP Shyam Sharma Chapagain and others were deployed in the operation. Surya Bahadur Thapa of Muga VDC of Dhankuta was the Prime Minister at the time of the murder. Martyr Gopal Ananda's son Dik Bahadur says, 'Every year, people gather at Panchakanya Danda and give speeches about the martyrs, garland the martyrs' families. However, they do not provide relief as promised.' 

A Martyr Memorial Park has been built in the center of Chhintanggaun, ‘Panchakanya’, and various programs are held in the same park every year from Kartik 22 to 29 in memory of the martyrs. Recalling the assurance given by the government when it was declared a national martyr, he says, ‘One million rupees will come immediately, we will educate the children, and if they take a job according to their qualifications, we are still unemployed.’ 

He was grateful that the Koshi State government had already given 500,000 rupees as relief. When the issue of government nights was raised, Som Bahadur Nepali, son of another martyr Dhanbir Darji, called it ‘a dream come true’. Som Bahadur’s father Dhanbir Darji, Tanka Bahadur Bishwakarma, Gambhirman Darji, Lakhman Sadhu Rai, Randhwaj Puma Rai, Ganga Bahadur Tuprihang Rai and Chandra Bahadur Darji were taken to the Patal and Pumatol areas of Chhintang and shot dead at the same place. Som Bahadur complains that although many people sang 'songs' about the sacrifice of his father and his village friends, no one has supported his livelihood. He said, 'Many leaders gave everything in words and speeches, but we did not get it in practice.' He says that he is tired of shouting and shouting.

All the top communist leaders, including Jhalanath Khanal, Madhav Kumar Nepal, KP Sharma Oli, who have been prime ministers many times before, have reached Chintang to celebrate Martyr's Day at different times. They had repeatedly promised not only relief to the martyr's family, but also guaranteed employment according to educational qualifications, and free education for the children of the martyr's family.

But when the leader's assurances did not work, the martyr's family said that they were frustrated after making delegations, requests and requests. The son of a martyr says, "No matter how much we try to remind them, the state wants to forget." He says, "We have tried to remind them of the state's responsibilities, duties and commitments, we have not begged for mercy." He says that the Martyr's Week, which is healing the deep wounds, will also refresh the insults inflicted on the Chhintange martyrs. 

Despite not receiving the amount announced by the federal government, the Koshi Provincial Government has already received relief of Rs. 500,000 in Falgun 2076. Manoj Rai, Chairman of Sahidbhumi Rural Municipality, said that all 16 families of the martyrs have been provided relief money by the provincial government. He claimed that the rural municipality and personally are trying to get the amount announced by the federal government.