Ram Prasad Rai ( Nepali: रामप्रसाद राई) (born March 1, 1909 – unknown) was a Nepali revolutionary, guerrilla leader, military theorist and organizer of the Liberation Army in East part of Nepal. Rai was a major figure of Nepal's

Revolution of 1951 The revolution of 1951 () in Nepal, also referred to as Sat Salko Kranti, was a political movement against the direct rule by the Rana dynasty of Nepal which had lasted for 104 years. It marks the beginning of the political awakening and democrat ...

. Following the Revolution, Rai never accepted the outcome of the revolution and continued fighting against the Ranas.

Early life

Ram Prasad Rai was born to

Jemadar Jemadar or jamadar is a title used for various military and other officials in the Indian subcontinent. Etymology The word stems from Urdu (), which derives through Persian ''jam'dar'' from Arabic ''jamā‘a(t)'' 'muster' + Persian ''-dār' ...

Dhoj Bir Rai and Ratna Maya Rai, on March 1, 1909, in Sandilung village, Basikhora, Bhojpur. He was the eldest of five children in a middle-class family. At the age of 14 he left his village and joined the British Indian Army.

Nepal Army

At the age of 25, after serving nine years in the Gurkha Brigade of the British Indian Army he returned to Nepal and joined the

Nepalese Army The Nepali Army ( ne, नेपाली सेना, translit=Nēpālī Sēnā), technically the Gorkhali Army ( ne, गोरखाली सेना, translit=Gōrakhālī Sēnā, label=none; see ''Gorkhas''), is the land service branch ...

and eventually got promoted to Subedar. During his time in the army he worked at remote hill districts of Charikot, Diktel Chainpur Ramechhap, Bhojpur, Dhulikhel, Khotang. During his time serving the Nepal army he worked on bringing social and political awareness among the people of Bhojpur and Khotang against the Rana regime. He finally retired in November 1950 from the army as a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

Revolutionary

He was deeply impressed with Indian freedom fighter Subhas Chandra Bose; thus, he organized guerilla militia with ex-armies and general people of Khotang and Bhojpur for the establishment of freedom in Nepal. During this time he worked with local militia leaders of the eastern hills of Nepal like Naradmani Thulung and Shreepal Rai. Under Naradmani Thulung and Rai's, the Liberation Army was able to capture state land-tax office aka Mal Adda of Bhojpur on 24th Mangsir 2007 BS without any bloodshed thus capturing much weaponry and ammunition along with radio-broadcasting equipment. He mobilized the liberation army from Majhkirat Bhojpur Dingla, Khotang, Chainpur, Terathum, Taplejung, Aiselu Kharka, Okhaldhunga, Dolakha, Ramechhap and Sindhuli districts, which were also captured by the People's Liberation Army on different dates.

Aftermath of Delhi Accord

Ram Prasad Rai was dissatisfied with the Tri-Party Delhi Agreement (Rana, Congress and King) of 1951; he went back to Bhojpur to continue the revolution and was captured and jailed for 26 days in Bhojpur. Upon his release, he traveled to

Kathmandu , pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Prov ...

and participated in the protests against the Delhi Agreement. He decided not to stop the armed revolution. Then he sent some troops to capture Singha Durbar. On 6th Magh 2008 BS, he gave a speech at New Road, Kathmandu against interim PM Mohan Shamsher. He was arrested and imprisoned in

Central Jail Prisons, and their administration, is a state subject covered by item 4 under the State List in the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India. The management and administration of prisons falls exclusively in the domain of the State governmen ...

, Kathmandu. He broke out of the jail, released himself and released Dr. K.I. Singh from Singha Durbar with the help of the People's Liberation Army. On January 22, 1951, he, along with

Kunwar Inderjit Singh Kunwar Indrajit Singh ( ne, कुँवर इन्द्रजीत सिंह; 1906 – 4 October 1982), popularly known as Dr. K.I. Singh or just K.I. Singh was a Nepali politician and revolutionary who served as the 20th Prime Minis ...

, captured Singha Durbar for 24 hours. They formed a government and he acted as

Defense minister A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in s ...

of Nepal for that 24 hour period.

Exile to Tibet

After losing the captured area, he fled to Tibet with some People's Liberation Army members to take political expatriate, but disappeared on his way.

Current status

His current status is unknown, but he is widely believed to be forcefully disappeared and killed on his way to Tibet in the caves by the Government forces.

References

External links

Disappearance history dates back to 1950s
{{Authority control 1909 births 1950s missing person cases Missing people Missing person cases in Nepal Nepalese revolutionaries Rai people