Even as moderate Madhesi parties wage a movement to seek revision in Nepal’s new constitution, the country is witnessing a nascent separatist movement in the Tarai.

The free Madhes campaign is led by CK Raut, who was arrested by the Nepali government and charged with treason in 2014. He was acquitted by a Special Court and lives in the Tarai town of Rajbiraj, under close state surveillance.

In Delhi on a private visit, he spoke exclusively to the Hindustan Times on his personal trajectory, why he seeks a free Tarai, expectations from India, and if such a campaign can be successful in 21st century South Asia.

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July 3, 2015

In the past few months, the Nepal Police has made its presence conspicuous in the vicinity of the residence of Dr. CK Raut in Rajbiraj, Saptari District. The number of personnel ranges from 2 to well over a dozen, rising when they think Dr. Raut has reason to leave his home. They have placed Dr. Raut under 24-hour surveillance, and to do so, they have rented a house nearby and deployed some female members of the police there too. The police personnel have been doing their assigned job, however this is obstructing day-to-day life of Dr. Raut. Even his family members are living in fear due to constant surveillance. (more…)

The arrest and possible imprisonment of Madhesi intellectual and political activist Chandra Kant (CK) Raut by Morang police on September 13, 2014, has opened new fissures in Nepali politics and has far-reaching consequences for the future of democracy and the country’s sovereignty.
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The arrest and subsequent processing of CK Raut hints at political interference and is highly suspect
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Of all the people I am aware of existing around the world, Madheshis of Nepal are the least aggressive, least assertive, and—relevant to the present context—with the least revolutionary zeal. This kind of zeal, of course, is needed to usher in a regime change or, more decisively, create a different nation. It, then, is absurd that such a revolutionary group has emerged in Madhesh.
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An unprecedented event is taking place today. Chandra Kant (CK) Raut from Mahadeva village in Saptari district is being tried for treason—a charge that could send him behind the bars for life. If you are a Madheshi, you will probably talk about this day with your kids and grandkids in the years to come.
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Dr CK Raut wants an independent Tarai state, largely representing the Madheshi population, to secede from Nepal. For that belief, he is now in prison.
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Some facts are so blindingly obvious that they fail to register altogether until someone else points it out. A college student in Massachusetts is researching the impact of remittances on elections of Nepal. He recently wrote in a personal note: “Just generated a word cloud of all political party names in Nepal from the raw data of 2013 elections. Scale of the word is proportional to frequency in the list of all candidates running for election. Colors also change by frequency. We sure do have a lot of nationalist and communist parties.” That perhaps partly explains the reason behind failure of the country in formulating a new constitution.
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There is an old saying usually attributed to early Marwari traders awestruck by the architectural splendor and pristine beauty of Kathmandu Valley: Gajab Kashmir, Ajab Nepal! A building spree and resulting urban chaos since the early nineteen-eighties have almost eclipsed magnificent monuments of yore. Toxic smog rather than invigorating mist hugs the valley floor throughout the year. However, the Ajab description of daily life—quaint customs, syncretic culture and carefree attitude—continues to make the Nepal valley distinctive in its own ways. The uniqueness permeates the polity of the country making the modern state of Nepal an archaic wonder.
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A lot has changed at Hanuman Dhoka police detention center. Back in 1985, youngsters asking for whereabouts of ‘forcibly disappeared’ physician Dr Laxmi Narayan Jha of Janakpur were often threatened that they would meet the same fate if they persisted with their enquiries. A group of concerned people that wanted to meet engineer-scientist Chandra Kant Raut early this week were politely told that they were holding the accused on behalf of the Biratnagar police and meeting for anyone other than the immediate family wasn’t permissible.

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