After reading Kantipur’s main news today (Army Warns Against Donation), I remembered the events of those days when I was chief of the administration at a school some four years ago. It was all about the donation and our position at the time. I admit that we donated a sum for the national conference of a sister organization of the Maoists but not before thinking of informing security officials and then deciding against it.
Though the event happened long time ago, I could remember most of the details. After taking a class, when I went to my desk, I found an enveloped letter addressed to the principal. Since I knew it was for the school, I opened it and it turned out to be a letter from a student wing supporting Maoists asking for the donation for their national conference. They had proudly written their association with the Maoists.
When I talked about it with our principal, vice-principal and my close friend at school, we thought of various possibilities. We talked about informing the security forces but decided against it because the Maoists then had exploded bombs in a few schools in the valley. We thought if they succeed to explode one around the school although without any damage, that would greatly increase the fear of parents and they would consider not sending their children to the school.
Later we decided that it would be best for us in that condition to donate some to them.
The secretary of the district branch visited me the next day. I talked to him in length and we became a sort of friends. Although he refused to give me his address and all, he left without any complain when I told him to come the next day.
Two days after, a girl and a boy came – not the one I talked with. They came in, introduced themselves to me. The girl was carrying a plastic bag that clearly showed the outline of a Khukuri (a knife) and she was intentionally trying to make me notice that. They were a bit harsh while talking to me and when I offered them Rs. 5,000/-, they told me they had expected a lot more than that. I told them I had talked with their secretary and also said that since it was a national conference I was offering less. If they go for regional one, I would contribute more because for national they could ask for donation around the nation.
They left with that sum. Probably, they accepted that because I told them about the secretary.
One of my friend in The Kathmandu Post added while I was writing this post:
The Kantipur news quoted an army official as saying: “If you donate again, we won’t leave you. We have deployed our people in plain clothes, so don’t think we won’t know anything.”
My friend said: “If they are people in plain clothes who are following those giving donations, why don’t they nab those who ask them for it?”
