Family of youths killed in Balkumari incident reach agreement with Govt.

The government has inked an agreement with the agitating family members of those killed in the Balkumari incident on Monday. Family members of the deceased have agreed to receive the dead bodies following the four point agreement reached at the Home Ministry.

Earlier on Monday, the families and relatives of those killed in the Balkumari demonstration, and Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha held a meeting at the Ministry of Home Affairs and agreed to identify the bodies.

In the four-point agreement, the government has agreed to provide Rs 1 million each to the family of the deceased, provide appropriate employment to one member each of both the families and arrange transportation of dead bodies to their respective homes outside Kathmandu.

Two youths—Birendra Shah of Achham and Sujan Raut of Dailekh—were brutally killed when the agitating youths clashed with the police on Friday. The youths had taken to the street at Balkumari, Lalitpur after they were denied sitting for the EPS examination for jobs in South Korea. Situation in Balkumari area became tense after the Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Prakash Jwala reached the venue of agitation. As the police opened fire and mercilessly beaten up the demonstrators the angry agitating youths set on fire the vehicle of the minister.

Tek Bahadur Shah, father of Birendra Shah and Tek Bahadur Katuwal, maternal uncle of Sujan Raut of Dailekh, and Under Secretary Umakant Adhikari put their signatures in the agreement on behalf of the respective sides.

As per the agreement, the home ministry has also committed to facilitate in providing additional relief as soon as possible and take necessary initiatives to declare both Shah and Raut as martyrs.

Earlier the agitating youths held demonstration in Lalitpur Metropolitan City demanding resignation of Home Minister Shrestha over the incident. Had minister Jwala not reached the venue and diverted his vehicle the incident would not have taken place, according to observers.

Every year half a million people leave the country for foreign jobs due to the worsening economic situation inthe country. A large number of youths started going abroad in search of jobs mainly after the Maoist insurgency which made people feel insecure even in their own country. The government is to be blamed for its inability to create employment opportunities within the country.