Prominent Madhes Rights Activist Arrested In Nepal On Charges Of Sedition

C K Raut, a prominent activist fighting for the rights of the Madhesi people and creation of an independent Madhes states has been arrested by Nepal police on the charges of sedition. His arrest further deepens the crisis in the Tarai region. Protests have already erupted in some parts.

“The police will investigate each and every case against him,” Inspector General of Nepal Police Upendra Kanta Aryal said, adding that a sedition case will be filed against Raut. The activist has been sent to Siraha district for further investigation, it was informed.

The Communist-led government in Nepal has repeatedly failed to amend the constitution of the country and include the rightful demands of the Madhesi people, who live in the country’s foothill region adjacent to the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Raut, under the banner of the Alliance for Independent Madesh ( AIM), has been advocating the Madhesi cause.

“I was not even served any legal notice for arrest,” Raut said after he was arrested. He is facing four sedition cases in Kathmandu and in local courts across the country and was arrested on 4 September 2014 on similar charges.