Support and opposition continue at both the local and political levels regarding the five demands of Dr. Govinda KC, who is on a hunger strike at the Krishna Temple in Dhangadhi.
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Dr. Govinda KC has been on his 24th hunger strike at the Krishna Temple in Dhangadhi since Thursday. He began the strike with a five-point demand, and in Sudurpaschim, he is facing both criticism and support.
On Saturday, as preparations were underway to admit Dr. KC to the hospital due to health complications, some locals reached the Krishna Temple premises and staged a protest. They went to the site of the hunger strike and chanted slogans, pressuring him to immediately end the strike. On Saturday afternoon, after Dr. KC’s health condition became serious, he was taken to Seti Provincial Hospital.
Locals have accused interest groups of using Dr. KC to create obstacles just as the Martyr Dasharath Chand University of Health Sciences is about to begin operations. Security personnel had to be deployed at the protest site to control the crowd.
Some have responded that Dr. KC’s demands are legitimate, while others are opposing the hunger strike. After widespread criticism for providing a dharmashala for the strike, on Friday, the Krishna Temple Management Committee, where he was on hunger strike, issued a letter asking him to vacate the dharmashala.
According to Dr. Amrit Jaisi, an aide to Dr. KC, the committee’s letter stated that holding a hunger strike at a religious site had increased security sensitivities and brought pressure from various sides. The committee claims that Dr. KC initially only sought permission to stay, but later began the hunger strike without informing them. Dr. Jaisi, however, asserted that the protest was started with prior notice to the management, and suggested that the current pressure to vacate the site could be due to external influence.
Opposition from the Struggle Committee to Politicians
On Friday, Lokraj Pandey, coordinator of the Martyr Dasharath Chand University of Health Sciences Struggle Committee, urged Dr. KC to withdraw his demand for the cancellation of university appointments and to immediately end the hunger strike. He warned that if this was not done, he himself would go on hunger strike against the government and Dr. KC. In a video message, Pandey said that the university was an achievement gained through the long struggle and sacrifice of the people of Sudurpaschim, and that any opposition to it would not be acceptable under any circumstances.
Not only Pandey, but also local politicians, teachers, students, and representatives of civil society have opposed the hunger strike. Many have accused Dr. KC of conspiring to prevent the operation of Martyr Dasharath Chand University. There is strong opposition to the strike on social media. In the comment sections of videos related to the hunger strike, negative reactions outnumber positive ones.
Former Minister for Internal Affairs and Law of Sudurpaschim, Purna Joshi, has also expressed dissatisfaction with KC’s hunger strike. “Dr. Govinda KC sir! Please do not trouble yourself by coming to Sudurpaschim to go on hunger strike,” she wrote on Facebook. “It seems you hurried here as soon as the possibility of opening the doors to medical education after decades became apparent.”
Dr. KC, however, says that opposition has started by spreading misinformation about his demands. At a press conference, he said, “I did not oppose Dasharath Chand University in Geta. I am the one who says there should be a 300-bed hospital in Geta, and that MBBS classes should start soon. The rumor that I opposed the university has been spread.”
He said that he has always stood by the truth, and even if there is not a single person on his side, he will fight alone for what is right. The government has also shown concern regarding Dr. KC’s hunger strike.
On Friday, Minister for Education and Sports, Sasmita Pokharel, held a phone conversation with Dr. KC’s aide, Dr. Jaisi. During the conversation, she said the government was positive about Dr. KC’s demands. “The Education Minister said that three out of the five demands will be fulfilled. Only the demand for cancellation of appointments cannot be met immediately, but will be discussed,” Jaisi said. After Minister Pokharel’s response, Dr. KC said he was ready to hold talks if all demands were to be fulfilled. However, Dr. KC was firm that there would be no compromise on the demand for cancellation of appointments.
What are Dr. KC’s main five demands?
1. All illegal and self-serving appointments made at Dasharath Chand Medical University and the Medical Education Commission, which create conflicts of interest contrary to established rules and values, must be immediately annulled, and the disputed provisions of the Act must be promptly amended.
2. The decision or proposal to reduce scholarships through the Medical Education Commission and to increase seats in private colleges without standards and infrastructure must be immediately revoked.
3. The legal provision to make medical education fully non-profit as per the National Medical Education Act, 2075, and the implementation of written agreements made with previous governments must be promptly enforced.
4. The compulsion for citizens of Sudurpaschim and other border areas to depend on neighboring countries for health, education, transportation, and employment must be ended, and necessary infrastructure and services must be expanded with priority to protect citizens’ rights and national dignity.
5. Those responsible for the heinous murders, arson, looting, and destruction on Bhadra 23 and 24, 2082, must be strictly punished, and impartial investigations must be conducted into corruption and crimes committed by high-ranking politicians and officials from 2046 BS to the present, with action taken against the guilty.
