Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Martyrs’ Day is being observed across the country on Friday with various programs.
The day is marked every year on Magh 16, as per the Bikram Sambat calendar, to honor the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the nation and its people.
The day commemorates the four martyrs—Dharma Bhakta Mathema, Dasharath Chand, Gangalal Shrestha, and Shukraraj Shastri—who laid down their lives to bring democracy to the country during the autocratic Rana regime.
In his message, President Ram Chandra Paudel urged everyone to commit themselves in thought, word, and deed to fulfilling the aspirations of those who attained martyrdom for the independence of the Nepali nation and its people. “In remembrance of the brave men and women who sacrificed their lives in various movements against feudal, autocratic, and dictatorial systems at different periods of history to make the Nepali people sovereign citizens, we have been observing Magh 16 every year as Martyrs’ Day,” the President said in the message. “I believe that moving forward to realize the aspirations of sustainable peace, good governance, development, and prosperity through the federal democratic republican system achieved by the sacrifice of the great martyrs will be the truest tribute to them.”
Similarly, Prime Minister Sushila Karki also paid tributes to the martyrs, stating that no Nepali mother’s lap should be left empty again. “It is because of the courage, consciousness, and determination of the martyrs that the country today stands at a historic turning point of change,” the Prime Minister said in her message. “May no mother’s lap be emptied again. I also pay homage to the brave warriors who attained martyrdom in the Gen-Z movement that rose with hopes for justice, equality, accountable governance, and a brighter future.”
