KATHMANDU: Former Prime Minister Dr. Baburam Bhattarai was forced to leave a public event midway after his comments on Nepal’s decade-long armed conflict drew strong backlash from victims’ families and rights activists.

Speaking at a civic discussion titled “The Impact of Transitional Justice on Human Rights and Democracy”, organized by the Human Rights Organization of Nepal in Kathmandu, Bhattarai said that both the state and the then-rebel Maoist forces should share equal responsibility for concluding the peace process.

Referring to the 1996–2006 insurgency, Bhattarai stated, “The conflict was between two sides—the state army and the Maoist army. Around 17,000 people died during that period.”

He further claimed that compared to wars in other parts of the world where “hundreds of thousands or millions” died, Nepal’s conflict saw “only” 17,000 deaths.

The use of the word “only” in relation to the death toll ignited outrage among victims present at the event.

Many of them accused Bhattarai—himself a senior leader of the Maoist movement during the war—of being insensitive and dismissive of the suffering endured by thousands of families.

The protest intensified, with victims and civil society members calling the remarks irresponsible and hurtful.

As tensions rose, Bhattarai was compelled to exit the venue before the program could conclude.