This morning, my long-time wish to know about the person who dared the security men with guns in their hands to climb on the statue of King Mahendra during the People’s Movement 1990, was fulfilled. The photo of the youth on the statue, who was shot down later, had always made me wonder how could a man be so brave. But his story that appeared on the front page of The Kathmandu Post and Kantipur made me numb.
The story is simple: The man, named Tara Khadka, lost one of his legs and an arm in the incident but survived despite being shot with three bullets. He was the ninth and last man to climb the statue in front of Royal Palace during the movement, that brought democracy in the country, to topple it. The other eight died.
Photo: Kantipur
He was taken to some place where he was forced to urinate on an electric stove and his tongue was slit; he was then thrown under a bridge from where he was taken to hospital by some students. Democracy was declared the very night he was taken to hospital.
But now, he faces a pile of problems. With his request to government for support turned down, he had no other way but to beg to continue his life. He once sold his nine-year-old son to an Indian for his treatment, and had visited India three times to find him out but in vain. He has no job or income and he wants someone to help him.
The story tells the plight of a freedom fighter who was brave enough to take bullets despite knowing that eight of his friends had died doing the same. He was fighting for democracy on politicians’ call but the same politicians refused to help him when he is helpless.
What can be crueler thing than this?
Read the story at Kantipur Online Here
