Burial Ground Row : Hopeless, Christians to protest afresh

Burial Ground Row : Hopeless, Christians to protest afresh

KATHMANDU, JUL 24 -

The Federation of National Christians of Nepal (FNCN) is considering holding a national assembly of the religious minority to devise further protest programmes against the government’s “denial” to allocate a burial ground for the Christians in the Capital. The date of the event is yet to be fixed.

The two-year struggle saw a new twist last Monday, with the expiry of the deadline given to a committee to recommend ways to resolve the burial ground crisis. The committee, formed four months ago after prolonged demonstrations of the Christian community, failed to recommend anything on resolving the matter.

Representatives from Culture and Peace ministries are in South Korea to see how burial grounds are managed there. However, FNCN representative in the committee CB Gahatraj, who boycotted the Korea visit, criticised other committee members for going on a foreign trip after the expiry of their deadline. “The Christian community will stand against an extension of the committee’s deadline,” said Gahatraj.

According to leaders, the committee’s failure to deliver has largely deceived their community. “This appears to be the government’s deliberate inaction. The committee could not function at all due to political pressure,” said Gahatraj.

“Our national assembly will come up with stronger measures to press the government to give us land to carry out funeral rituals,” he added. The committee was formed as a result of a relay hunger strike that lasted 39 days in March-April 2011.

The issue erupted in 2011 when the Pashupati Area Development Trust banned non-Hindus from burying their dead on the temple premises. “The committee should have acted on endorsing our proposal for 2,000 ropanis of land at Gotikhel,” said Gahatraj.