[From The Worker, #8, January 2003]
Homage to Martyr
“Let Us Pay Respectful Homage to Immortal
Martyr Com. Rit Bahadur Khadka! Let Us
Firmly Follow the Path Shown by Him”
[The Eastern Command of Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), first of all, pays respectful homage to immortal martyr Com. Rit Bahadur Khadka (Com. Pratap) and commits itself to firmly follow the path stained by his and other martyr’s blood. Similarly, it sends condolence to his mother, Manmaya and father, Birkha Bahadur Khadka, who gave birth to such a great revolutionary fighter like Com. Rit Bahadur Khadka, to his life partner Indira Khadka and his two children and all his relatives.]
Com. Rit Bahadur, who was born in Jungu Village People’s Committee, Ward No. 6 in Dolakha district on August 26, 1971, was the ninth child of the eleven children. Because of poor economic condition at home, Com. Rit Bahadur had to face hardship right from his childhood days. Through his own effort he had studied up to graduate level. At the young age of 31 Com. Rit Bahadur gave his valuable contributions to his country, people, class and the Party. Com. Rit Bahadur was all-round talented person. He was always full of revolutionary optimism and confidence and was always creatively active and dynamic. He was keenly interested in all aspects of philosophy, politics, and literature. In the field of literature, he was well known by the name of “Shining Red Star”. He was very capable in giving leadership to all aspects of People’s War. His development was in leap and bound because of his sharpness in politics, skillful handling of contradictions, capacity to take quick decision, ability to be active even in adverse situation.
Submitting his resignation from the student’s front which was under the then ML, Com. Rit Bahadur rebelled against UML by forwarding his differences with their ideology in the year 1991, ever since then, within short period of time he had become member of Dolakha District Organisation. He was captured and was handed over to the enemy by UML cadres when he was found working alone as secretary member of Sindhupalchowk and Dolkha Organisation Committee in the course of People’s War. He was jailed for some period. Later when he was admitted to hospital for treatment he was able to free himself from the clutches of police and was able to return to war front as secretary of Solu and Okhaldhunga. After sometime he became secretary of Sindhupalchowk and Dolakha and a member of Eastern Bureau and thereby he was elected as an alternative Central Committee member in the Second National Conference held in February 2000. He was made a member of Eastern Central Command and Commissar of a battalion and an in-charge of military sub-regional bureau, according to the new structure formulated in the plenum of Central Committee held a short while ago. This way his ideological, political and organizational development was rapidly striding at astonishing speed. In the course of Party work when he reached Rautahat on 15 June, 2002 he was shot down by the enemy while running away after being surrounded by the enemy with the help of conspiratorial plot hatched by the UML of the same district. This way he got martyred in a glorious and honorable way by resisting against the enemy till the last moment of his life.
The martyrdom of such a great revolutionary fighter like Com. Rit Bahadur has created a big loss for the Party. But, on the foundation of his blood a battalion level of military formation of People’s Liberation Army has been formed. It has made a new basis for a new and firm unity. That is why one should not feel sad at his martyrdom but should be proud of it. The shining star of Nepalese sky will remain shining for eras after eras. And it will inspire us to march ahead till we reach the golden future of communism. In this world, many are destined to [be] born and die, but all deaths are not [the] same, some deaths are as lofty and weighty as Mount Everest, while some deaths are as light as feathers of chicken. The martyrdom of our lofty and glorious Party’s Central Committee member Com. Rit Bahadur Khadka is as lofty and weighty as the summit of Mount Everest. Hence let us once again pay homage to brave and immortal martyr Com. Rit Bahadur Khadka with deep respect. And let us pledge that we will continue to fight till victory is achieved till the end of our life by holding firmly the gun and the flag left behind by him!!
[The Eastern Central Command of CPN (Maoist)
issued this statement. —ed.]