CK Raut

Chandra Kant Raut (Nepali: चन्द्र कान्त राउत), popularly known as CK Raut, is a Nepali Member of Parliament (MP), computer Missile engineer, former United States Defense Programmer, author, politician and activist. He is gold medalist in Bachelors of Engineering from Tribhuvan University. He was active in the Alliance for Independent Madhesh, to establish a country for the Madhesi people. In 2022 Nepalese general election, he was elected as a Member of Parliament of the Pratinidhi Sabha. He defeated the incumbent Upendra Yadav, a former minister.

In the past, he has been frequently placed under house-arrest by the Government of Nepal. He quitted the movement for another single country and joined the mainstream politics forming Janamat Party in 2019.

Raut quitted the secessionist movement on 8 March 2019 signing agreement with Prime minister KP Sharma Oli. Subsequently, Janamat Party was formed by Raut on 18 March 2019.

On 3 January 2015, Raut was again arrested while giving a speech at degree College. Many supporters were injured following a clash with police. A dozen police personnel were also injured. Raut's supporters claimed police had used brutal force and did not allow him to be hospitalised locally for injuries incurred during the clash.

On 13 September 2014, the Government of Nepal arrested Raut for on the grounds of sedition after giving a speech to a gathering of Santhals, an indigenous population of Nepalese, in their annual festival. After his arrest, Raut began to fast in protest, arguing that his right to freedom and expression was being violated by the government. He was subsequently hospitalized on 25 September after complaints of severe stomach pain. Nepali Congress Vice-President Ram Chandra Poudel, Minister for Information and Communications Minendra Rijal, and Agriculture Minister Hari Parajuli visited Raut in the hospital to urge him to end his fast. Raut ended his fast on the 1 October, after 11 days, upon the Nepalese government's request and commitment to respect freedom of expression. The Attorney Office filed a sedition case at the Special Court on 8 October.

Raut was the president and the founding member of Alliance for Independent Madhesh, which in its manifesto has described itself as a coalition of Terai people discriminated by Pahadi civilisation. It has people of various sub-ethnicities, activists, parties and various organisations who are working towards establishing an independent Madhesh. Although it was established in 2007, it did not announce their manifesto until a press conference in Kathmandu on 21 May 2012. The manifesto states the main objective of the alliance is to achieve independence of Madhesh through peaceful and non-violent means. It has also demanded an end an end to racism, slavery and discrimination imposed on Nepali people of Madheshi origin by the Pahadi people. It claims to have three pillars: independent Madhesh of Nepal, non-violence and peaceful means, and a democratic system.