Martyrs day today

Kathmandu : The Martyrs Day is being observed today by organising a variety of programmes in memory and respect of the people who sacrificed their lives for restoration of democracy and for independence and freedom during different times in history.
The martyrs’ day is usually observed for a week, known as the martyrs’ week from Magha 10 to 16 in the lunar calendar to commemorate the first known instance of martyrdom in modern Nepal. In course of the freedom struggle, Sukhraj Shashtri was hanged in Pachali, Teku on Magha 10, Dharma Bhakta Mathema on Magha 13 at Sifal and Dasarath Chand and Ganga Lal Shrestha on Magha 15 of 1997 B.S. at Shova Bhagwati by the then Rana rulers.
Marking the day, a morning procession is scheduled to take today in Kathmandu from Shanti Batika in Ratnapark to the Martyrs memorial in Lainchaur. On the occasion, the Prime Minister, Ministers, high-ranking government officials, people’s representatives and the general public pay tributes to the martyrs.
Another event is scheduled to be held at Gokarneswar, where a martyrs memorial park is being constructed in memory of martyr Lakhan Thapa and other martyrs. The statues of the four martyrs in Sahid Gate are also being transferred to the park upon its completion, according to Chairperson of the memorial construction committee Sudarshan Sigdel.
Meanwhile, the President, Vice-President and the Prime Minister have released separate message today on the occasion of Martyrs Day.
In her message, President Bidya Devi Bhandari has expressed best wishes to all on the occasion of the Martyrs Day for the devotion of one and all to materialise the dreams of martyrs.
President Bhandari has said, in the message, that Nepal has a strong foundation of federal democratic republic as a result of the martyrs’ sacrifices adding that the people’s elected institutions and the government are committed to strengthening the historic achievements made after the first ever elections to the local, province and federal levels after the promulgation of the new constitution.
In her message, President Bhandari said that making a socially just and economically and culturally prosperous society based on equality would be a true respect to the martyrs.
Similarly, Vice President Nanda Bahadur Pun has said that vital credit goes to martyrs for the achievements including democracy, Loktantra and establishment of the federal democratic republic.
In his message today, Vice President Pun said that there was no alternative to move ahead by uniting all to translate the dreams of martyrs at a time when the country was on the path to development and prosperity, with people now enjoying most of their political rights.
Likewise, in a similar message, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said that anti-democratic and anti-human rights forces were defeated, thanks to the sacrifices of the martyrs.
In the message the Prime Minister says that he feels pride over Nepal’s democratic movement due to the sacrifices of martyrs Shukraraj Shastri, Dharma Bhakta Mathema, Dasharath Chand and Gangalal Shrestha against the Rana regime made in 1997 BS.
“Nepali society has come to the stage of federal democratic republic from the unrelenting struggles for democracy for generations. We are focused for country’s development and socio-economic transformation by completing the political transition,” reads the message.
The Prime Minister has also said that participating in the social transformation and nation building process would only be true tributes to the martyrs and urged one and all to partake in this process.