For transport workers in Dang, work has become a hot potato. Against their will, they are forced to carry soldiers over dangerous roads. A roadside landmine planted by Maoists on 22 February hit a civilian bus carrying security forces from Ghorahi to Lamahi of Dang district. Two soldiers and bus driver Yam Prasad Gupta were killed on the spot. Nineteen other soldiers and the conductor were injured. After the driver's death, his wife and two daughters have been left without their family breadwinner. "After receiving repeated calls, he had left with a sad face that night without speaking to anyone," his wife Goma said with tears in her eyes. "How can the drivers run the risk of their lives while carrying security forces? If they are made to do so, they must receive the facilities like the security personnel do." Gupta's also spends her time grieveing. "The security personnel who died in the same vehicle get assistance. So, why should my son, who was driving the vehicle, be deprived of such compensation?" she asks. According to a committee of Rapti Zone Transporters' Association, after the incident, the Chief District Officer, a senior official of the army and a deputy superintendent of police had attended a meeting and decided to compensate Gupta at par with security personnel. Transport labourers have warned that they will launch a strike if the agreement is not implemented within 15 days. This was not the first time a civilian driver has been killed while driving for security forces in Dang. In a similar incident, Chhedilal Chaudhary was killed almost one-and-a-half years ago. His wife Bina has not received any compensation as of yet. The Rapti Zone transport entrepreneurs say they have been compelled to deploy six vehicles in Dang everyday to carry security troops. "It is injustice to use the non-combatants like us for warfare," transport labourers complain. "We can no longer carry the security forces. Our voices must be heard."