PUCL Bulletin, August 2001

Tragedy in Nepal

We are all shocked and anguished at the massacre of the Royal family of Nepal including the Monarch Birendra Bir Bikram Shah. We express our solidarity with the people of Nepal in their hour of grief. All societies, modern or traditional, live by their symbols, even if the content and the meaning of symbols keep changing. Citizens of Nepal have believed in their monarch as an incarnation of divine and he has also been viewed as a stabilizing force for their fledgling democracy in recent years. We understand their sense of loss and bewilderment in the face of such a sudden and tragic turn of events.

As friends of the Nepalese people, we believe that the Nepalese society has the inner strength and resilience to come out of this crisis, confusion and anxiety. We agree with the observation of the Nepalese Ambassador to India that all societies have their own mechanisms of getting to the truth. We believe that the people of Nepal are quite capable of finding out and reconciling with the bitter truths that have unfolded or may unfold in the days to come. We also hope that this crisis will forge a unity of the Nepalese people in defence of their sacred traditions and the foundations of their young democracy.

-- Vijay Pratap, Convenor, Nepal-India Forum; Shri Rabi Ray, Former Speaker, Lok Sabha; Shri Surendra Mohan, Socialist Ideologue; Shri Prabhash Joshi, National Convenor, Vikalapa Abhiyan; Shri Om Prakash Srivastava, Secretary General, Samajawadi Janata Party; Shri D.L.Sheth, Chairperson, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam Network; Shri Vinod Prasad Singh, General Secretary, Samajwadi Jan Parishad; Shri Devinder Sharma, Agricultural Trade Anaylist; Shri Yogendra Yadav, Political Scientist; Ms. Ritu Priya, Convenor, Swasthya Panchayat; Shri Ajit Jha, Lokayan; Shri Rajendra Ravi, Convenor, Lokayan, Shri Mukul Sharma, Media-Democracy Activist; Ms. Rita Nahata, Eco Station.

Home | Index