Prem Prasad’s challenge to conscienceless society and nation

The capital, where the sovereign rights of the sovereign people are exercised alongside the presence of a good deal of security personnel. But, a desperate young entrepreneur from Far East Ilam committed self-immolation before the parliament building in Baneshwor, carrying the weight of injustice and oppression. The action is the height of despair. A desperate person either escapes or commits suicide. However, it is not conceivable that such a horrific way would be adopted even to commit suicide.

Prem Prasad Acharya’s self-immolation, recalling the horrors of the sati practice, is a resistance to the combined action of the society, the state and the wealthy people. This self-immolation has exposed the injustice and indiscretion present in society. It has exposed the extremes of exploitation and the black deeds of the so-called wealthy and prosperous moneylenders. It is not a subject to be brushed aside as a story of a hopeless man's defeat, an act of self-sacrifice, or a defeated mentality of a coward.

We have Yogamaya’s story, who tried to rebel against the unjust state and sadistic society through Jal samadhi. We hear many news of self-immolation due to cases of marriage, dowry, other family persecution and failure. However, Acharya’s self-immolation has a different story. It can be assumed that he took the decision not because of a particular incident or to escape from his suffering but was because he was hurt by the ignorance of nation.

The indifference of security personnel towards the incident is very regrettable. A man sets himself on fire and starts screaming but the security personnel and the assembled crowd does not input to extinguish the sudden fire. It gives a perspective of a silent state machinery. It is sad that there is no preset arrangement for a sudden incident. As urban population density is developing, the need of necessary tools, resources and equipment is also high.

The absence of such an arrangement to tackle such incident even near the place where the representatives of the sovereign people reside is an extreme negligence. The comments Acharya made through his social media post before self-immolation has some similar pain of an average Nepali. He had been trying not only to earn a living, but altogether raise economy of the country. A member of a well settled family of Ilam goes abroad at a young age, invests his hard earned money in various productive sectors.  However, he is constantly robbed and cheated by the elites of industrial business, despised by the owners of some factories established in the name of agricultural employment, exploited by the banks increased the debt burden. He tries to lighten up by many means, but all his efforts turned worthless. Apart from his immediate family he had no support. He was unable to bear the burden of abuse and humiliation by the society which concluded in self-immolation.

Acharya who was also associated with the new generation political party believing in the slogan of change. But he was discouraged when the party reached the height of doubt and split. Acharya's self-immolation can be an unforgettable lesson for those who raise unnecessary ambitions in politics, cultivate impossible dreams, try to climb the ladder of politics alone. Not only those who were mentioned in the post but many aspirants who are not mentioned are creating confusion among the younger generation. They all must be aware of struggles of Prem Prasad Acharya.

Politicians, political institutions, businessmen, industrial houses and society should feel the pain of Prem, and make efforts not to create reasons for self-immolation in the future. So that many other undisclosed Prems do not have to take such harsh decisions. The traders, industrialists, and businessmen mentioned in the post should own up to their mistakes and pay off all the debts taken from Prem Prasad. This will be the proper tribute to him.