KIRAN PUN
KATHMANDU, Oct 13: For Maoist leaders, eliminating a caste-based social structure and ensuring social inclusion for all was purportedly one of the major goals in initiating the decade-long insurgency that claimed over 15,000 lives.
However, as the much-trumpeted integration of former Maoist combatants into the Nepal Army comes to an end six years after the former rebels came into the peace process, a snap analysis of the gender, caste and region -- the core parameters of inclusion -- of the 71 individuals selected for officer-rank integration into the Nepal Army gives one the pessimistic impression that the cause of social inclusion has completely lost out.
Based on data on integrated ex-Maoist combatants gleaned by Republica, it is apparent that social inclusion has failed to get translated into action. For instance, males continue to get the lion´s share and the Bahun, Chhetri and Thakuri emerge as dominate castes among the 71 officers who are scheduled to start vigorous army training within one and half months.
Gender-wiseThe alarming gender-wise imbalance among the newly selected 71 officers of the Nepal Army is reason enough for pessimism, with only four women commanders succeeding in winning officer-level rank.
Among the four, former brigade vice-commanders Bimala Pant Lama and Shashi Kala Bhattarai have been recommended for the rank of major once they complete their basic training. Former battalion commander Man Kumari Rai and former company commander Mina Kumari Basnet are the other two selected for officer rank.
The PLA was itself no stranger to gender imbalance as Kamala Naharki was the highest ranking woman in the erstwhile Maoist combat outfit and the only woman at that level. A PLA brigade commander is five rungs below the supreme commander.
Interestingly, there was not a single high-ranking commander from the Madhesi community, and Daljit Shreepali was the only division vice-commander from the entire dalit community.
Region-wiseDisparity was also seen in terms of region, as the eastern region has sent a majority of officers while the western region, the epicenter of the insurrection, could send only 27 officers.
Among the seven PLA divisions, the seventh division, which mainly represented Seti and Mahakali zones, sent just eight officers while the sixth division based in Bheri-Karnali was able to send seven. And in a big surprise, the fifth division, which was based in Rolpa and used to be the backbone of Maoist military structure, has sent only two officers.
Caste-wise
A caste-wise analysis shows that Magars, who are not only the third largest ethnic group in Nepal but also the ethnic community that suffered the highest death toll during the insurgency, secured only three positions. Among them, Birendra BM was a former PLA division vice-commander while Himmat Baral was brigade commander and Bharat Pulami Magar, a PLA combatant.
Likewise, only nine officers were selected from the Tamang and Tharu communities, the fourth and fifth largest ethnic groups in the country. Among the other janajaties, the Rais have secured five officers, while the Limbu and Newar communities sent only three and one officer respectively.
The story is more or less similar for the dalits as the community was able to send three officers, including one from among Madhesi dalits. However, not a single officer representing the Gurung or Muslim communities was selected.
Meanwhile, former Maoist leader Mani Thapa has said, “The Maoists raised the inclusion and proportional representation agenda only so that they, and in particular Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Baburam Bhattarai, could get to the center of the ruling class”, adding that former division commander Yam Bahadur Adhikari was selected as the chief officer from the PLA side, skipping more capable commanders Santa Kumar Darai and Suk Bahadur Toka Magar.
“This is a serious betrayal of Rolpa and the base areas, especially Rapti, Bheri, Karnali, Seti and Mahakali, which bore the brunt of the sacrifice during the insurgency. It is also a serious betrayal of all those youths whom Dahal instructed to abandon their formal education, arguing that education was nothing and revolution was everything,” Thapa said.
selected officers
Division commander -1
1 Yam Bahadur Adhikari, Dhading
Division Vice-commanders- 3
1 Padam Bahadur Tamang, Kabhre
2 Birendra BM Manjil, Rukum
3 Basudev Ghimire, Pyuthan
Brigade commanders -4
1. Himmat Baral Magar, Gulmi
2. Ram Bahadur Tamang, Kabhre
3 Amrit Bahadur Acharya, Gorkha
4 Prachar Bahadur Shahi, Kalikot
Brigade Vice-commanders -7
1 Dambar Singh Thakuri, Arghakhachi
2 Gopal Singh Bohara, Rukum
3 Bimala Panta Lama, Kabhre
4 Shashikala Bhattarai, Pachthar
5 Pradip Tamang, Humla
6 Narayan Subedbi, Jhapa
7 Indrabhakta Maharjan, Kathmandu
Women 4
1 Bimala Pant Lama
2 Shashikala Bhattarai
3 Man Kumari Rai
4 Mina Kumari Basnet
Caste wise
Majhi-1
1. Shyam Bahadur Kushwar, Sarlahi
Newar -1
1 Indrabhakta Maharjan Rupak, Kathmandu
Madhesi dalit-1
1 Ram Pratap Gareri, Dhanusha
Hillside dalit -2
1 Shyam Bahadur BK, Baglung
2 Raj Kumar Darji, Syanja
Limbu -3
1 Dhan Prasad Tabahang, Pachthar
2 Bharat Kumar Angbuhang, Taplejung
3 Hark Prasad Jagebu, Pachthar
Magar -3
1 Bharat Pulami Magar, Sarlahi
2 Birendra BM Manjil, Rukum
3 Himmat Baral Magar Dhruba , Gulmi
Tharu -4
1 Saturam Chaudhari, Dang
2 Bikram Chaudhari, Banke
3 Sunil Kusumya Chaudhari, Kanchanpur
4 Tarani Prasad Chaudhari, Saptari
Rai -5
1 Shyam Kumar Rai, Sankhuwasabha
2 Surya Prakash Rai, Pachtar
3 Dev Kumar Rai, Pachthar
4 Bikram Rai, Dhankuta
5 Man Kumari Rai Ghalan, Pachthar, Battalion C, wife of Brigade commander Pradeep Balachan
Tamang -5
1 Padam Bahadur Tamang, Kabhre
2 Dhana Lal Tamang, Kabhre
3 Ram Bahadur Lama, Kabhre
4 Pradip Tamang Deepak Lama, Humla
5 Dhalak Bahadur Moktan, Sindhuli
Thakuri -8
1 Uttar Bahadur Chand, Baitadi
2 Dal Bahadur Singh, Dailekh
3 Prachar Bahadur Shahi, Kalikot
4 Chakra Bahadur Shahi, Dailekh
5 Kali Bahadur Hamal, Salyan
6 Sher Bahadur Shahi, Kalikot
7 Dambar Singh Thakuri Sudeep, Arghakhachi
8 Hemant Singh, Kalikot
Bahun-Chhetri -38
1 Yam Bahadur Adhikari, Dhading
2 Basudev Ghimire, Pyuthan
3 Gopal Singh Bohara Pind, Rukum
4 Shashikala Bhattarai, Okhaldhunga
5 Narayan Subedbi, Jhapa
6 Girja Bahadur Thapa, Morang
7 Gangadhar Dhakal, Gulimi
8 Kamal Prasad Gautam, Morang
9 Hartk Prasad Chaulagain, Pachthar
10 Kuber Bahadur Karki, Ramechhap
11 Khemraj Karki, Saptari
12 Rajaram Pandit, Makawanpur
13 Deepak Bahadur Bohara, Baitadi
14 Tirth Raj Acharya, Gorkha
15 Purna Bahadur Subedi Chhetri, Dailekh
16 Bhankar Prasad Subedi, Achham
17 Keshav Raj Dhami, Bajura
18 Khadak Singh Saud, Achham
19 Nawal Singh Rokaya, Achham
20 Dev Bahadur Bohara, Baitadi
21 Deependra Bahadur Budha, Dailekh
22 Kaji Bohara, Jumla
23 Nabin Pande, Rukum
24 Kamal Bahadur Khadka, Siraha
25 Rajendra Bahadur Khanal, Bhojpur
26Rajan Raut, Udayapur
27 Ram Krishna Reule, Salyan
28 Harinarayan Paudel, Chitwan
29 Mahesh Adhikari, Syangja
30 Manikanth Kaphle, Syangja
31 Jas Bahadur Dagar, Mugu
32 Ain Rokaya, Dailekh
33 Madhav Ghimire, Pyuthan
34 Deepak Kumar Budhathoki, Salyan
35 Tikaram Basnet, Gulmi
36 Amrit Bahadur Acharya, Gorkha
37 Mina Kumari Basnet, Solukhumbu,
38 Bimala Panta Lama, Kabhre
No comments:
Post a Comment