NEPALGUNJ, April 25: Had people stayed true to their promises, Sher Bahadur BK´s grievances would not have persisted. BK, who lost his wife in Jana Andolan II, was flooded with several kinds of assurances, but no one has come forward to make good on their promises till today.
Immediately after the death of his wife Setu BK in the historic movement, some offered to provide cash to Sher Bahadur while others promised to educate his children. He was also assured of job by some.
Sher Bahadur still remembers the names of some renowned schools in Nepalgunj and Kathmandu who had given him the word to educate his children for free. The unfulfilled promises add to his grievances.
He says, "Many people promised many things but as time passed, they forgot all about it." According to him, when he went to one of the schools that had promised to educate his children for free, he was asked to pay more than Rs 80,000 for admission. BK has two sons to look after.
Before her death, Setu took care of the household while he went to work in India. Now, with the mother gone, the entire responsibility of taking care of the children has fallen on BK´s shoulder.
He wandered to several places in Nepal in search of job but could not find any.
Though BK, who is 32 years old, is ready to take up any kind of job, he has not been able to find one. People decline his request for job on the grounds that he is a husband of a martyr and should not be given any trivial job.
Even his new identity-the husband of a martyr-has become a nuisance as people shy away from giving any help. He says, "People love to pay respect with words, not by action."
He has to meet all the requirements of his family with the monthly allowance of Rs 5000 provided by the government. After Setu was declared a martyr by the government, BK was compensated with Rs 1 million, which has been deposited in the bank account of his sons. "The monthly allowance given by the government goes into buying food and other basic requirements. For medical and other expenses, I have been taking loans"
"I´m surprised to read the newspaper articles commending the role played by the state to help the family of martyrs. I have met some families of martyrs who say they are satisfied with the state´s role but my situation is worsening day by day," he adds.
Till date, he has received Rs 70,000 from some Kathmandu-based organizations.
He has not been able to work his fields as he devotes most of his time attending programs organized by several organizations and meeting visitors who come from different placed. This has also added to his financial problems.
BK says he does not demand much from the government. "The public land in Bageshowri VDC, which I have been using for a long time, should be registered in my name." He wants to start a farm in the 10 kattha of land. "A martyr can remain in peace only if her children would be able to have their square meals."
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