I'm sorry, you died at wrong time

I’m sorry for Birendra Shah, the unfortunate journalist from Bara who was killed by the dirty hands of the Maosits, (who say they do everything for the people and for poor, marginalised and suppressed class of people).

Shah’s body was found today afternoon. The body was to be found after it was buried. I’m not talking about the killers who are buried in laps of Prachanda or Baburam Bhaatrai.

I’m sorry in many senses. First being a journalist, I am sorry because I see my face in his photograph when his photos were pinned on my friends’ T-shirts. I can imagine what payment he had from the four media houses he worked with – Avenues TV, Nepal FM, Drishti and one other. I was looking at the eyes of his wife and I could see so many unwritten stories of Shah. It was like I read all the stories he could not write.

Next sorry because he was killed by the Maoists. I’m not personally biased for or against the revolutionists. But I was concerned because I was hearing too much of their kind of press freedom when the started the strategy of blocking newspapers at Kantipur, Nepal Samacharpatra and Annapurna Post. I could imagine how they could support press freedom. And when I look at their faces in the TV programmes, either sitting on the pile of newspapers at the office of Annapurna Post or smashing the windscreen of vehicles at Kantipur Publication premises, I can see who were behind him and why it took place.

Now, for the third sense. I’m sorry that he died in this critical condition. No doubt, he was a supporter (or a cadre) of CPN-UML. One can imagine how difficult it is for common people to be member of the UML-affiliated Press Chautari and how meaning for it is to be in that position who dream of being in the UML politics. See, he died………..he really died. But the party has been silent for whole month. When the journalists were making all hue and cry in the capital and also in other districts. The only person we see in the crowd is Raguji Panta, who come to the mass as an ex-journlaist than a UML central committee member. We know, the UML is intereseted to bag the prime minister’s set with the help of Maoists and it is the worst time for the Maoists to say thing thing that counld be unpleasant to the Maoists (If the UML only could remember the slogan of the Maoists to “dhad ma chadera tauko ma hirkaune”). Otherwise, the UML knows the best way to do politics over dead bodies. I’m sorry Shah was not fortunate enough to receive party flag on his body. This is politics. Sorry man.