Injured Madhesi leader brought to Delhi for treatment

Nepal’s top Madhesi leader Rajendra Mahato, who had suffered injuries in a clash with the police during a sit-in last week, was on Friday airlifted to Delhi for further treatment as his condition did not improve.

The 57-year-old chairman of Sadbhawana Party, one of the four Madhes-based political parties that have launched an agitation in southern Nepal under the banner of United Democratic Madhesi Front, has left for New Delhi for medical treatment, according to vice-president of the party Laxaman Lal Karna.

The senior Madhesi leader was initially airlifted from Dharan, where he was undergoing treatment for the past week, to the capital Kathmandu, from where he was again airlifted to Delhi.

The leader, who had sustained injuries including on head during a clash between the largely Indian-origin Madhesis and the police at Biratnagar-Jogabani border check-point on December 26, was flown to Delhi as his health condition could not improve much even after staying in the ICU for some time, Mr Karna said.

Thirty-six rights activists were arrested on Friday in Nepal for staging a protest in front of the Indian embassy here over a blockade of border points they said was imposed by India resulting in an acute shortage of essential goods in the land-locked country.

The sit-in, third in a month, was organised by Human Rights and Peace Society and other rights groups against India’s unofficial blockade and government’s apathy towards addressing the humanitarian crisis created by the blockade. Senior human rights activist Krishna Pahadi was among the 36 rights activists arrested by the police from Lazimpat, Kathmandu in front of the Indian embassy gate as they were staging a sit-in.