Comrades, You Can’t Ride Like That

Maoists should learn not to use civilian population as a shield in their war against the state

The Driving Force: Armed Maoist guerillas use a public passenger bus that was ferrying unarmed people from Tikaupr to Dhangadi via Mahendra Highway. Guerillas forcefully boarded in the vehicle from Masuriya. They traveled about 15 kilometers to Chaumala. A security base camp of government’s Unified Command is situated 10 kilometers away from here. Two passengers were killed seven months ago when a bus came in between a clash. Pic by Mohan Budaair

It’s against all ethics and norms of war to use civilian vehicles by those who openly carry arms and are engaged in fatal warfare. It has been reported previously that Royal Nepal Army soldiers were using civilian passenger buses. One of them fell into deadly ambush attack in Madi of Chitwan District last year killing innocent people. There are many such incidents when innocent unarmed people have been killed by felling into ambushes set up by the rebels targeting security personnel. There could be no excuses of any kind for such crime.

When you have guns filled with bullets you think you can do anything you want. That’s what is happening right now in Nepal. No unarmed person should be used as a shield in the conflict. It has been reported several times that Maoists have been using civilian population as shield in their war against the ‘feudal’ state. This picture serves as an example of such reporting. By using this passenger bus, these Maoist guerillas have not only endangered the lives of innocent civilians.