Although the bullet wound on the head of 41-year-old Shivalal Paswan of Brahmapuri Rural Municipality, Sarlahi, has already healed, his pain has not lessened. Pasman is forced to undergo a CT scan every three months and consume medicines worth around Rs 5,000 in a month. Without taking sleeping medication, there is no sleep at night, and when his head hurts severely, additional pain relief medication must also be added.

During the first week of May 2015, Madhesh-centric parties were intensifying protests with the demand that the rights of the Madheshi people must be established in the constitution. In that process, a highway blockade program took place. Paswan was also participating in the blockade held in Nawalpur, Sarlahi. The police used force during the process of opening the highway. The bullet fired by the police hit his head. After around one month of treatment, the wound healed, but its impact still remains in his life.

There are one son and one daughter at home. The son studies in grade six, and the daughter studies in grade five. The wife is an asthma patient. Both the mother and father have sugar and pressure; they also require regular medication. After being hit by a bullet in the head, Paswan also faces difficulty working.

“I got involved in the Madhesh Movement called by the Madhesh-centric parties and even took a bullet,” he says. “But now, when my own condition is miserable, not even a single party comes to inquire about me.”

Injured Madhesh Movement protester Shivalal Paswan of Sarlahi

This pain belongs not only to Paswan. The injured individuals and martyr families of the Madhesh movement are still visiting the doors of the province government for relief, employment, treatment, and respect. Their grievance is that although blood flowed in the movement for the establishment of federalism, the Madhesh Province government formed on that very foundation has also failed to make permanent arrangements for the martyr families and the injured.

Unending agony of martyr families

During the Madhesh Movement itself, Amit Kapar of Bakhari, Jaleshwar Municipality, died after being hit by a police bullet in Jaleshwar. After the death of the only son of the house, a huge catastrophe befell the family.

According to his wife, Mantoriya Devi, a daughter had already been born, and a son was in the womb. She says, “The father-in-law is disabled. We are running the household from the social security allowance he receives. The money finishes just on the children’s education and the father-in-law’s medicine.”

Her grievance is that although the government said it would provide relief, they have still not received it. “The state has not given the facilities that should be given to the martyr families,” she says.

Mantoriya Devi, who lost her husband during the Madhesh Movement

In the movements of 2007 and 2016 called by the Madhesh-centric parties, 63 individuals had lost their lives. However, most of the martyr families are running their lives amidst hardships. Their grievance is that the martyr families have not received permanent and adequate facilities from the government level.

Broken employment guarantees

After the first election of the province, a government was formed in Madhesh under the leadership of the then Madheshi Jana Adhikar Forum, Nepal, and Rastriya Janata Party Nepal (RJP). Chief Minister Lalbabu Raut brought forward the ‘One Martyr Family, One Employment’ policy.

Along with taking the oath on February 15, 2018, Raut brought a plan to provide employment to the relatives of the martyr families. 54 individuals were given appointments on a daily wage basis as office assistants in various offices of the province. However, out of them, only 25 individuals worked.

Members of the martyr families state that some assistance kept reaching the martyr families of the Madhesh Movement as long as the government led by Raut remained. Their statement is that after he stepped down from the government, the problems kept increasing.

Raut had formed the Madheshi Martyr Foundation for solving the problems and managing relief for the martyr families. However, after Bharat Sah became the Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications on July 17, 2021, a policy was brought forward to also assist the martyrs and injured of the Maoist People’s War through the foundation. After that, assistance began to be provided to the martyrs of the People’s War as well.

Representatives of the martyr families state that problems appeared after the foundation started running at the discretion of the minister instead of being autonomous.

Members of the martyr families state that some assistance kept reaching the martyr families of the Madhesh Movement as long as the government led by Raut remained. Their statement is that after he stepped down from the government, the problems kept increasing.

According to Awadhesh Patel, a member of the Madheshi Martyr Foundation and father of martyr Chandan Patel, the budget allocated for the foundation froze last year as well due to the negligence of the province government. Patel alleges that this year too, because the Chief Minister and the Home Minister did not take initiative, it is certain that the budget will freeze.

He expresses objection over the fact that the act related to martyr families, which the provincial government was said to bring for two years, has not even been presented in the provincial assembly. Emphasizing that the Act must be taken to the assembly as fast as possible, he has placed demands to guarantee education and health for the members of the martyr families. Furthermore, his emphasis is also that employment must be given to one member of every martyr family by fully implementing the ‘One Martyr, One Employment’ program.

It is mentioned in the Martyr Foundation Formation and Working Guidelines to conduct activities including infrastructure development in memory of the martyrs, care of martyr families, operation of employment programs for them, and arrangement and management of social security for those injured and disabled in the movement.

However, in the words of the martyr families, the things written in the guidelines are not seen in practice. They have claimed that they have not received relief, assistance, and protection accordingly.

Rs 166.3 million spent on services and perks

The provincial government, on the other hand, has stated that it has spent amounts under various headings for the martyr families and the injured of the movement. The government, which has been celebrating Martyrdom Day in November for four fiscal years, has been providing financial assistance to martyr families and the injured on that very day. In four years, Rs 166.3 million has been spent under that heading.

Family members of Madhesh Movement martyrs gathered in front of Madhesh Province Office during a sit-in demonstration

In the fiscal year 2024/25, at least Rs 18.6 million was provided to 62 martyr families of the Madhesh Movement at the rate of Rs 300,000 per family. Similarly, one individual was given Rs 300,000 along with an honor as a ‘Living Martyr.’ In this manner, a total of Rs 18.9 million has been spent under the martyr family and living martyr headings.

Among the 107 injured individuals of the Madhesh Movement, looking at the nature of the injury, Rs 2.4 million was made available to 24 individuals at the rate of Rs 100,000, Rs 5.4 million to 36 individuals at the rate of Rs 150,000, and Rs 9.4 million to 47 individuals at the rate of Rs 200,000. On the side of the injured, a total of Rs 17.2 million has been spent.

In this manner, in the fiscal year 2024/25 alone, a total of Rs 36.1 million in cash assistance has been provided to the martyr families, living martyrs, and the injured combined.

Similarly, Rs 33.7 million was spent in the fiscal year 2021/22, at least Rs 61.1 million in the fiscal year 2022/23, and Rs 35.4 million in the fiscal year 2023/24.

However, the grievance of the martyr families and the injured is that even though the amount is seen to be spent, it has not ensured long-term security, employment, treatment, and respect in their lives.

‘Substantial schemes required instead of handouts’

The spokesperson of the Janata Samajbadi Party Nepal and Province Assembly member Manish Suman stated that his party maintains absolute solidarity with the movement and the demands of the martyrs. Emphasizing that the justifiable demands of the families must be addressed, Suman noted that no one should forget those on whose strength federalism was established. He urged the government to halt the distribution of fragmented funds and instead introduce concrete plans to permanently address their grievances.

Similarly, the General Secretary of Rastriya Mukti Party Nepal, Anil Mahaseth, pointed out that while budget expenditure on services and facilities for the families is visible, it has failed to yield tangible results, adding that a long-term plan is currently being formulated to address this gap.

Compounding these concerns, the Minister for Home, Communications and Law, Phakira Mahato, confirmed that the province government aims to move forward by drafting a dedicated legislation to resolve these systemic issues. Mahato admitted that while money is spent annually on their welfare, the ad-hoc support remains short-lived and unsustainable, reinforcing the ministry’s commitment to enacting a separate law for permanent, long-term management.