Incident Reports

Kathmandu Post: Kanchanpur rape-murder: Women wear black dress in protest on Teej festival

2018-09-12

But the women of Kanchanpur have took to the street by wearing black saris demanding justice to 13-year-old Nirmala Panta who was raped and murdered in a sugarcane farm. Woman and men wearing black dress staged a demonstration at Madan Chowk on Wednesday morning and headed towards the market area. “We need to celebrate Teej festival by wearing read saris today,”Manju Giri, who was injured during the protest, said, adding, “How can we celebrate the festival at a time when we have been facing such suppression.” . बुधवार देशैभर हरितालिका (तीज)को रौनक छ। महिला दिदीबहिनी धुमधामसँग तीज मनाइरहेका छन्। भाद्र शुक्ल तृतीयाका दिनमा मनाइने हरितालिका (तीज) ले जताततै नाचगानमा महिला दिदीबहिनी रमाइरहेका छन्। तर, कञ्चनपुरमा भने यसवर्ष तीजको खासै रौनक देखिएको छैन्। महिला दिदीबहिनीले तीज नै नमनाउने निर्णय गरेका छन्। अधिकाशं महिला दिदीबहिनी तीज पर्वको दिन कालो पहिरनमा निर्मलालाई न्याय दिन माग गरिरहेका छन्। कञ्चनपुरस्थित दबाब संघर्ष समितिले हरितालिका तीजलाई कालोदिनका रुपमा मनाइरहेको छ। ‘हरेक वर्ष आउने पर्वलाई रंगिन र रमाइलो नभएर कालो पहिरन लगाएर मनाइरहेका छौं’, नागरिक संघर्ष समितिका संयोजक हेलेन श्रेष्ठले भनिन्, ‘निर्मलालाई न्याय दिनका लागि हाम्रो आन्दोलन फेरि सुरु भएको छ।’ लामो समयदेखि संघर्ष समिति न्यायका लागि सडक आन्दोलमा छ। ब्रत बसेर श्रीमान र घरपरिवारको सुख, शान्तिको कामना गर्ने दिन निर्मलाको न्यायका लागि कालो पहिरनमा बसेर आन्दोलन गरिरहेको उनीहरुको भनाइ छ। महिलादिदी बहिनीले बुधबार कालो पहिरनमा मदन चोकमा एकघण्टा धर्ना दिए भने बजार क्षेत्रमा प्रदर्शन समेत गरे। निर्मला पन्तका हत्यारालाई सार्वजनिक र संविधानमै बलात्कारीलाई फाँसीको सजाय दिन संविधान संशोधन गर्नुपर्ने माग उनीहरुको छ। ‘आज ब्रत बसी शिवपार्वतीको पूजा र उपासना गर्ने दिन हो’, प्रितिधिर भण्डारीले भनिन्,‘यो वर्षको तीजलाई हामीले कालो दिनका रुपमा हेरेका छौं र कालो पहिरनमा विरोधमा उत्रिएका हौं।’ उनले निर्मलाको बलात्कार पछि हत्या गर्ने वास्तविक अपराधी पत्ता नलागुन्जेल दबाबमुलक कार्यक्रम जारी नै रहने बताइन्। महिला अधिकारका क्षेत्रमा क्रियाशील महिला र सर्वसाधारण चोकमा भेला भएर तीजलाई कालोदिनका रुपमा मनाइरहेका हुन। महिलाको आन्दोलनमा पुरुष समेत कालो पहिरनमा सहभागी भएका छन्। यसअघि महेन्द्रनगरमा स्थानीय पर्व गौरालाई पनि विरोधकै रुपमा मनाइएको थियो। बलात्कारपछि हत्या गरिएकी बालिका निर्मला पन्तले न्याय पाउनुपर्ने भन्दै यसवर्ष कञ्चनपुरमा गतविगत झै तीज पर्व मनाइएको छैन्। महिला अधिकारका क्षेत्रमा कार्यरत विभिन्न संघसंस्था एवं महिला दिदीबहिनीले तीजपर्वलाई कालोदिनका रुपमा हेरेर यसवर्ष सार्वजनिक ठाउँमा नाचगान समेत गरेका छैनन्। Giri said that she wore black dress demanding that the culprit(s) be made public at the earliest. They have been organising various protest programmes demanding justice to Panta. The murder mystery got murkier after Dilip Bista, the man accused in the rape and murder of Panta was released on Tuesday. The women have also been cautioning the police administration not to be negligent in the investigation. Police exonerated and released Bista, a mentally ill person, after his DNA did not match the victim’s vaginal swab as per the suggestion of district attorney. Kanchanpur police had paraded Bista, a resident of Bhimdutta Municipality-19, on August 20 claiming that he was the main accused in the case. A wave of violent protests followed Bista’s arrest. The victim’s family and the locals believed Bista was innocent and police tried to frame him to protect the real culprits involved in the heinous crime. Along with Bista, Roshani Bam and Babita Bam, who were arrested to investigate into the murder of Panta, were also released after seeking legal advice from the District Attorney’s Office. Nirmala was found dead in Bhimdutta-18, Kanchanpur, on July 27, a day after she was reported missing. Forensic reports showed she was raped and strangled to death.
Details and Impacts
Violent / Non-violent Nonviolent
Collective / Interpersonal Collective
Primary Form Demonstration
Primary Cause Issues related to legal action and access to justice
Actor 1 - Number of people 30
Actor 1 - Affiliations Women's Rights Activists
Actor 1 - Youth unknown
Actor 2 - Number of people NA
Actor 2 - Affiliation (Target) Government and civil servants at central level
Actor 2 - Youth na
National/Online Media , Local Newspaper - Kanchanpur

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