Pic: Bikram RaiAs the government has failed to address the demands of Govinda KC, who is into the fourteenth day of his fast-unto-death, thousands of supporters gathered at Maitighar Mandala on Saturday.
The solidarity rally was organised to apply pressure on the government to save the life of KC by meeting his demands. KC is a senior orthopaedic surgeon at the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, who has been demanding massive reforms in Nepal's medical sector.
The campaigner's eighth fast-unto-death also demands the impeachment of the Commission of the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) Chief Lokman Singh Karki, accusing him of meddling in Kathmandu University's medical entrance exams in May and also of protecting the corrupt.
The Good Governance and Monitoring Committee of the Parliament on Friday summoned the officials of the anti-graft body, including Karki, to question them regarding the alleged interference in the university's entrance exams.
A meeting between the government and KC's representatives on Friday ended inconclusively as they could not agree on withdrawing the Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences Bill tabled in the Parliament. One of KC's demands is that the bill be withdrawn and the Manmohan Memorial Institute's properties be purchased by the government and transferred to the government-owned Bir Hospital.
Representatives, from various organisations, youths, and doctors including students participated in the mass rally and chanted slogans such as 'It is all clear, the corrupt are the ones at the CIAA.' The mass rally went on for almost four hours and concluded with a corner meeting in New Baneshwor.