“Like We Are Not Nepali”

Communist Party of Nepal – Maoist (UCPN-M) who come from the far west. Many leading
members of the Akhanda movement are landlords, one of whom told Human Rights Watch
that they are motivated by the fear that they may lose their property in Kailali if it is made
part of a Tharu state. 18 The same Akhanda member also advocated for the reintroduction of
the kamaiya system of hereditary debt bondage, a system frequently compared to slavery,
in which many Tharus were constrained as bonded agricultural laborers until it was legally
abolished in 2001.
Most members of the local administration, as well as most journalists, human rights
defenders, and other people in positions of influence, belong to hill-origin communities.
The six state federal model proposed by the four parties favored the position of the
Akhanda, putting the plains districts of Kanachanpur and Kailali, with significant Tharu
populations, in a province otherwise composed of hill districts.
Events Before August 24
Rival protests and bandhs by the hill-origin and Tharu communities began on August 6 to 7.
A national human rights organization, Informal Sector Service Center (INSEC), as well as
the police, local administration officials, and rival political groups, agreed to a “code of
conduct” for protests to minimize the risk of clashes. This held until about August 13.
On that day, three Madhesi political leaders from the eastern plains—Upendra Yadav,
Rajendra Mahato, and Amresh Singh—made speeches at a rally in Tikapur, Kailali’s second
largest town, which were widely said to have included inflammatory language, angering
Akhanda supporters. Many observers, especially of hill-origin communities as well as the
local administration, identify this as a turning point.
On August 17 a Tharu protest gathered at Campus Chowk of Dhangadhi, the district
headquarters town of Kailali district. According to INSEC, Tharu leaders agreed to a request
not to invite allegedly incendiary speakers again. 19 Despite having gained prior permission
for their program in a meeting with the Chief District Officer the day before, they were
obliged to move the location from the center of Dhangadhi due to the intervention of
Akhanda activists and the Nepal Police. According to INSEC, the group obstructing the
18 Human Rights Watch interview (name withheld), Tikapur Kailali district, September 12, 2015.
19 Human Rights Watch interview with Khadak Raj Joshi, Dhangadhi representative of INSEC, September 10, 2015.
“LIKE WE ARE NOT NEPALI” 14