Impacts of Maoist Insurgency in Nepal

Term Paper for History of Nepal

B.A.LLB 1ST Year

3 April, 2019

Word count: 1627

Submitted to:

KSL Exam Department

Purbanchal University

Submitted by:

Kushal Duwadi

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Table of Contents
Abstract...............................................................................................3
Background:........................................................................................3
Objectives:...........................................................................................3
Limitations:.........................................................................................3
Rationale:............................................................................................3
Methodology:......................................................................................3
Findings:..............................................................................................5
Analysis................................................................................................6
Conclusion:..........................................................................................7
Bibliography........................................................................................7

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Abstract
The Maoist insurgency that shook the nation is one of the major incidents that changed the
history of Nepal. We saw thousands of lives that were on stake to bring democracy in Nepal.
A lot of people lost their lives and a lot more felt its impact. A massacre took place that killed
a lot of potential manpower that left the country deprived. The reason why I have chosen this
topic is to give emphasis on the impact and how the Maoist Insurgency left the country in
ruins where many of them stated that it was beginning of the end.

Background:
Nepal is a country where there is an aristocrat ruler every now and then. But aristocracy was
at its peak when there was Rana regime in the Nepal. People as a whole got frustrated with
the tyrannical rule and they revolted against Rana regime. From that very point there was the
presence of communist party in Nepal. After that Late His Majesty King Mahendra Bir
Bikram Shah Dev snatched democracy from people and start the system of Panchayat. There
were a large number of communist parties against Panchayat and in favour of democracy.
The Maoist party was at the peak in the time of Ex His Majesty King Gyanendra Bir Bikram
Shah Dev.

Objectives:
 To know about the historic changes and evolution that occurs in Nepal.
 To know about the role of Maoist in the battles.

Limitations:
 This paper is written in certain words limit.
 Book consulted for this paper isn’t more in Number.
 This paper is limited to the role of Maoist insurgency only.

Methodology:
This paper is written applying doctrinal method. Books have been consulted from the
Kathmandu School of Law library and help from internet was also taken.

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Introduction:

In Nepal, the communist party was first established on Bhadra 30th 2006 B.S. in. Kolkata. At
that time the secretariat of the party was Pushpalal Shrestha. After the weaknesses from the
Central Party, in 1974 A.D. Mohan Bikram Singh and Nirmal Lama conducted the 4th
conference of Nepal Communist Party and opened a new party. At that time it was called
Chaum. It was established as a main opposition of the Congress and Monarch. The main aim
of this party was to eradicate the Panchayat System from Nepal. After the 4th conference,
dispute rose among the party members and they started to split form each other. In 1983 A.D.
the party under the leadership of Nirmal Lama got separated and after the separation of
Nirmal Lama there was many disputes in the Masal Party. After these many disputes in the
Masal the fifth conference was held in December 1984 A.D. Mohan Baidhya was made
secretariat from this conference and in April 1986 A.D. again Mohan Bikram Singh broke
down the Party and formed new Masal party. So the party leaded by the Mohan Baidya was
divided time to time. After the restoration of the two party system Pushpa Kamal Dahal got
involved in the Mohan Bikram Singh’s Masal Party and he united all the parties which was
divided from time to time. He included Nirmal Lama Chaum, Ruplal Bishwokarma
Sarwahaaraawaadi Shramik Sangatham, and Baburam Bhattarai Bidrohi Masal which
automatically make the Mohan Baidya party weaker.

After the meeting of party, in 1995 September in Gorkha they had decided to do revolution
through the arms against the then ruling system of Nepal and for the establishment of the
people republic in the country. They send their 40 points of demand to the Government of
Nepal. There are lots of causes for that revolution in Nepal. CPN maoist used to say causes
for revolution are no freedom for the people, lack of equal opportunity for all, discrimination
of all types, corruption at all levels and all sectors, lack of good governance and many more.

The progression of insurgency doesn’t rest on mere military prescriptions but on

philosophical foundations laid by Chanakya and Sun Tzu, reinforced by Clausewitz and
Lawerence, and revolutionised by Marx and Mao.1 Prachanda highly believed on this
ideology so he also wanted to have a conversation with the King. Both of the parties were
making efforts to talk with each other but after the death of Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev
that wasn’t possible. After Gyanendra was king of Nepal there was a conversation between
maoist and the government only once. As a result of the insurgency on April 2008 A.D.
Maoist became single largest party in the country and on August 15 2008 A.D. Prachanda
1
Nepal: Coping with Maoist Insurgency P No 86

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became the prime minister of Nepal. Within the insurgency of the 10 years people had to face
a lot of positive and negative impacts. Many lost their lives, many changes were seen in the
country and many more as happened. This revolution made many people’s life flourish but
we cannot deny the fact that it also destroyed the lives of many people. So it has both positive
and negative impacts.

Findings:
During Maoist insurgency, the children were used by the both Maoist and security forces.
Children were used as a combatants, for performing cultural programs, and as an informants
from the Maoist side but if we look at the security forces, they are used as a guides and
porters. According to the INSEC, over 260 children under the age of 18 were killed in the
conflict between 1966 till 2004. Maoist insurgency also effects on the education of the
children as the schools and colleges were either attacked or used by the Maoist.

The positive aspect is that it played a significant role in uplifting the weaker sections of the
society as it attempted to demolish the all types of discrimination based on caste, religion, etc.
The constitutional guarantees prohibiting the practice of untouchability had little or no effect.
The institutions created by the government like the National Committee for the upliftment of
the Depressed, the Oppressed and Dalit Community, National Women's Commission,
National Dalit Commission, and the National Human Rights Commission had proved to be
inadequate and ineffective.2 That’s also the reason why many people from the weaker
sections joined the Maoist insurgency.

One of the bad impact of the Maoist insurgency was that it made people to move from their
original place. Maoists were more in number in the rural area. The damages made in the
governmental buildings, were less in comparison to the damages made in people’s soul and
mind which made compelled people to move from one place to the another place. Mostly
people migrated from the rural areas to the urban areas as there was more security and peace.
Few of the people had to flee from the country. So displacement or migration was also the
impact of the Maoist insurgency.

The other impact of the Maoist insurgency was that it took the lives of the many people.
According to data collected by the government 17,000 people were killed in that insurgency.
Still many of them are disabled and aren’t getting help from government. At that time the
people who were mediator were also got attacked by both of the sides. According to other
2
http://www.alrc.net/pr/mainfile.php/2004pr/32

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estimate, at least 2,000 children have lost one parent and more than 4,000 had been
displaced.3

Women were also affected from the Maoist Insurgency. Many of the cadre stated that their
job was only to fulfil the sexual desire of their own level Maoist Cadre. Some of women
became mother and she up-bring the children won her own as her partner was captured or
killed. Not only female Maoist cadre but also the women who weren’t supporting anyone got
raped and killed.

The main impact of the Maoist insurgency was that it brought democracy in the country. It
made people to distinguish between the good and bad, to ask for freedom, to ask for rights
and many more. It bring consciousness among the people and develop the habit of revolution
against the state power which made end of the Monarch in the Nepalese Society.

Analysis
People had dreams and aspirations that our country would be better. There will be
development in every nook and corner of the country but that didn’t happen due to optimality
behaviour of the leaders. All the dreams of Nepalese people had shattered and people had to
lose their hopes and expectations. As the ruling party was Nepali Congress and they were
lacking in the development of the country, people voted for the Maoist with an expectation
that they could achieve progress in developmental activities and could get facilitated in
various aspects.

Now the ruling party is of Maoist so they should do better for the people. People were
deviating from their norms and values. With the wrong notion of modernism people started
portraying deviant activities. People started changing their religion. After the downfall of
monarchy in Nepal various NGOs and INGOs started to come in Nepal and they had an
abundant influence and they lured people for changing their religion. People had great faith
on Maoist because they had their mobile court system in which the cases were immediately
settled down, unlike in the regular courts which are time consuming as well as costly. All of
us know that justice delayed is justice denied. So the court system of Nepal should give
verdict as soon as possible in adequate numbers.

3
https://www.ukessays.com/dissertation/examples/military/impact-of-the-maoist-insurgency.php

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Conclusion:
Maoist insurgency is one of the greatest event in the history of Nepal. It has a significant role
in the history of Nepal. The changes in our surrounding to a great extent is brought by the
Maoist insurgency. Maoist insurgency as both positive and negative effect but having what
kind of impact isn’t so much necessary in today context but the main important is thing is to
check that whether our politicians are working for us or not. If they are working for us they
must continue it and if they aren’t they must start to work for us.

Bibliography
 Upreti, Bishnu Raj, Armed Conflict and Peace Process in Nepal
 Thapa Deepak- "Radicalism and the Emergence of Maoist"
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HC-gjIMksg8
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbAFXk4oKI8&t=243s