Photo Essays

3 MIN READ

A Journey Through the Maoist Heartland

Nabin Bibhas, July 10, 2019, Kathmandu

The Maoist insurgency began with simultaneous attacks on three police posts on Feb 13, 1996, two of which were in Rolpa and Rukum. With the attacks began a decade long civil war that claimed close to 17,000 lives, and led to a political transformation that changed the course of Nepali history. The Maoists gained a stronghold on political power after the war. They have led three governments and, since their merger with the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (UML) have formed the largest ruling party in Nepal to date.

In Rolpa and Rukum, the Maoists had some support— and a strong coercive network — which they used to establish parallel governments and state structures. The general consensus in political circles is that the war is over and Nepal has successfully transitioned into a federal democracy. But a splinter group, led by former Maoist youth leader Netra Bikram Chand ‘Biplab’, who hails from Rolpa, believes that the revolution is far from complete. He is now attempting to mobilize a new generation of youth in Rukum and Rolpa to fight for this cause under the banner of his Communist Party of Nepal (CPN).

13 years after the end of the war, we visit Rolpa and Rukum to see what life is like in what was, and continues to be, the Maoist heartland.

Scenes from Jaljala, a hill in Rolpa that is 3,500 m high. For the Maoists, this hill was a symbol of the revolution and it featured prominently in war literature, music and poetry.

Jaljala is now being promoted heavily by the provincial government as a tourist destination, for its abundant flora, fauna, and wildlife.

“All communists, leftists, patriots and democratic forces unite! Let’s struggle together for scientific socialism! Let’s fight against excessive taxation!” This graffiti by CPN cadres is painted on the walls of what used to be the palace of the king of Aathbiskot, Rukum

Scene from Thabang village, Rolpa. Thabang is the cradle of the war, where the Maoists had almost unanimous support. Following the vicissitudes of the peace process and the many divisions of and within the party that resulted, in Thabang Biplab’s CPN now holds sway.

While sketches of Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin, Mao and Prachanda were common in Rolpa and Rukum during the Maoist war, the CPN now projects Che Guevara as the symbol of the “continued revolution.” This wall painting is from Thabang, Rolpa

Mural of Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin and Mao has been at Thabang gate for over a decade now.

Police post in Mahat, Rukum. In 1999, the Maoists kidnapped a deputy superintendent of police of this police post, their first high-profile kidnapping.

Kamal Daha in Rukumkot, Rukum (East). This was the site of the first major clash between the police and the Maoists in 1996. Over 20 people lost their lives.

Sarun Bahadur KC, 61, father of Bibek KC, a Maoist combatant killed by the police. He received Rs 10 lakh (Rs 1 million) as compensation from the government for his son’s death. With the money, he built a temple in Syarpu, Rukum, where is a dhami (shaman) and tends to many locals, providing healing and spiritual guidance.

Banphikot, Rukum. This formerly independent kingdom was the first place where the Maoists declared a “people’s government”, headed by Purna Bahadur Gharti Magar. He is now Speaker of the House for Province 5.

Punni BK and his daughter-in-law standing in front of their house, which they bought from the former royal family of Gotamkot, Rukum. A Dalit man purchasing a house that belonged to the king is indicative of the social transformations taking place in Rukum.

Houses in Gotamkot that belonged to the rulers of the former kingdom.

No longer glorious, these former royal residences are now home to ordinary people going about their daily lives and herding their animals.

Rarijiula, Rukum.

The war formally began with a Maoist attack on these police quarters as well as two others in Rolpa and Sindhuli.

:::

We welcome your comments. Please write to us at [email protected]

Nabin Bibhas Nabin Bibhas has worked as a journalist for a decade, and closely follows Nepal's politics. He is the author four collections of essays, poetry, and short stories. He tweets @NabinBibhas

Become a Member !

Comments

Get the best of

the Record

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

Features

12 min read

The Rajakot massacre, 16 years on

Nirmal Acharya - January 7, 2019

The wounds of impunity remain fresh

Culture

Books

6 min read

An end to willful memory loss?

Daniel Lak - January 30, 2015

Aditya Adhikari's new book reminds us of what has been, perhaps deliberately, forgotten about the war

Features

21 min read

The machinery of brutality

Aditya Adhikari - August 20, 2018

Remembering the Royal Nepal Army’s actions in wartime

Explainers

Longreads

10 min read

Biplab and Oli at the negotiating table, explained

The Record - March 3, 2021

Comrade Netra Bikram Chand ‘Biplab’ and Prime Minister Oli are both in difficult positions and they are both looking for a way out.

Photo Essays

4 min read

The whole family

Bikkil Sthapit - August 30, 2020

The coronavirus pandemic brought a faint hope for some that their family members who disappeared during the People’s War might finally return

Opinions

7 min read

An Open Letter to the Chief of Nepal Army

The Record - January 8, 2020

Will your leadership summon the courage to end impunity?

Features

7 min read

Fourteen years of silence, fourteen years of pain

Dewan Rai - February 5, 2021

The two transitional justice commissions have received a new lease but for victims, that doesn’t mean much.

Explainers

4 min read

The changing faces of the Nepal Army

The Record - April 10, 2020

The army’s role in the procurement of medical supplies is just one instance of its expanding reach in national administration