Ruby Khan calls off hunger strike following agreement with government

The strike was called off after the government signed a four-point agreement, which includes launching another round of probe into the case of Nirmala Kurmi.

The group had first staged their protest on October 6 after walking for days to Kathmandu from Nepalgunj. (File photo)

Anushka Nepal

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Kathmandu: Ruby Khan, a women’s rights activist who had been leading the protest to demand justice for Nakunni Dhobi and Nirmala Kurmi, ended her hunger strike after reaching an agreement with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) on Tuesday, January 4.

The protestors had demanded the government to send a team from the Central Investigative Bureau (CIB) to further investigate the case of Nirmala Kurmi.

The demonstrators had walked on foot from Nepalgunj in September 2020 demanding the government to provide justice for the two victims of domestic violence.

Although the case of Nankunni Dhobi has reached the court, Nirmala Kurmi’s case has not been solved yet.

The protestors had launched repeated rounds of protests. The main reason behind this strike was to push the government into taking proper responsibility for the justice of Kurmi, says Ruby Khan, who has been leading the protest. 

According to Khan, the protestors had their final straw when authorities from the MoHA visited them on January 2, not with a solution but just to observe their situation. “It was a very disappointing moment for us when all these efforts were not enough to make the government take the issue seriously,” she added.

“The government must address our demands for justice, till then we will continue with our hunger strike.”

What does the agreement say? 

Both the signing parties have come into agreement on four major points.

Firstly, the home ministry has given orders to the police headquarters to send the CIB team to further investigate the incident of Nirmala Kurmi and Nankunni Dhobi. 

The protestors had launched repeated rounds of protests. The main reason behind this strike was to push the government into taking proper responsibility for the justice of Kurmi, says Ruby Khan, who has been leading the protest.

According to the ministry, the investigation must be conducted while coordinating with Hiralal Regmi, joint secretary of the home ministry who was involved with the former investigation of this incident, while following up with the report.

Secondly, the agreement has ensured the protection of the protestors from any forms of threats that they might face as a consequence of their protest. 

Furthermore, it declares that the respective authorities must do their part in implementing the necessary actions on the basis of the conclusion received from the investigation. Also, the concerned authorities will have to perform necessary follow-ups after the investigation is concluded.

At last, the agreement mentions that Ruby Khan along with her protestors have concluded the hunger strike, on January 4, 2022.