Far away from the hot topic of gender equality voiced across the globe, many Nepali villages are still plagued by social, humanitarian and cultural discrimination against women. Recently, a horrible story of hardships faced by a woman in Bitthadchir Rural Municipality-1 in Nepal’s far-west Bajhang district has come into light. Nirmala Bohara, 27, after suffering severe torture from her husband and family members for years left her house along with her two sons aged six and four. Nirmala shared that she had to leave her house after torture became unbearable and life threatening to herself and her two sons. “My husband married another woman after our second son was born,” she said, “He started beating me from the very first day of his second marriage coercing me to leave the house.” Bohara said that she continued living with her husband for seven years of his second marriage enduring extreme torment as she had no means to sustain her life independently. “I have no words to describe how much torture I received from my husband. I even lost an eye from his beatings,” recounted Bohara in a very painful voice, “My in-laws, including the second wife, too hit me regularly.” Nirmala looks too old for her age for all the sufferings she has endured in her life. She recalled how her husband, under the influence of alcohol, threw away their youngest son into a river last September after she did not pay heed to his repeated threats to leave the house. Thanks to a local shopkeeper who saved her son! Following this terrifying incident, Nirmala finally decided to relieve herself from her husband’s torture. One night Nirmala left for her parental house situated in neigbouring Bajura district. But, this did not come easy for her as she got lost in the dense jungles of Basthal and Naulaban in Masta Rural Municipality for four days. Along with two small sons, Nirmala faced a near-to-death experience in the jungle located at 3500 metres above the sea level. The extreme cold and hunger rendered the three in sub-conscious state. Luckily, a local sheep herder Surendra Singh of Kailash Village in Jaya Prithvi Municipality found the trio and rescued them. “I found three people laying like a wood in the jungle. Hit hard by rain, battered by cold and weakened by the hunger, their lips had turned black when I found them,” said Singh, adding, “At first, I thought they were dead. But Nirmala opened her eye and asked for water when I touched her. Miraculously, the children too were alive.” The sheep herder said he took care of the trio for two days and then saw them off to nearby settlement. Nirmala and her sons are now under the shelter of Dhwoj Bahadur Dwal, a local of Ranada village in Masta Village Council. Nirmala was married to Gambhir Bohara of Lim Village in Bajhang district when she was 15-year-old. Her marriage took place in India when she was there with her father. Nirmala remembers that her parental house lies in Martadi Village of Bajura. But, according to Nirmala, she has never met her parents after marriage. She has never been in touch with them and doesn’t know whether they are still alive or dead. Nirmala, who can’t read and write, has no idea of basic legal remedies for domestic violence. She said none neighbours came to rescue her miserable life despite knowing all her sufferings, calling it her own personal matter. Bitthadchir Rural Municipality Chairman Prem Bahadur Bohara said he has no knowledge of Nirmala’s husband [Gambhir] tying knot with another girl. He said he was unknown to Nirmala’s plight as his house is in a faraway village. “If Nirmala’s story is true and she has suffered all these violence from her husband, I will take initiation for action against her husband and provide her justice,” said Chairman Bohara. वर्षौंसम्म पति र परिवारबाट यातना पाएकी एक महिला घर निकाला गरिएकी छन् । बित्थडचिर गाउँपालिका–१ लिमकी २७ वर्षीया निर्मला बोहरा ६ र ४ वर्षका दुई नाबालक छोरासहित घर छाड्न बाध्य भएकी हुन् । यातनाबाट आफ्नो र नाबालक छोराहरूको ज्यानै जाने जोखिम बढेपछि घर छाडेको उनले बताइन् । ‘कान्छो छोरा भइसकेपछि अर्काे विवाह गर्‍यो,’ उनले भनिन्, ‘श्रीमान्ले दोस्रो विवाह गरेकै दिनदेखि घर छोड भनेर कुटपिट सुरु गरेको हो ।’ पतिले दोस्रो विवाह गरेपछिका ७ वर्ष पाशविक यातना सहेको बोहराले बताइन् । ‘कति कुटाइ खाएँ भनेर थाहा छैन, कति दिन त मरिसकी भनेर छाडेको हो । हानेर आँखै फुटायो, सबै सहेर बसें,’ उनले भक्कानिँदै भनिन्, ‘सासू, देवरले समेत कुटे, सौताको त कुरै नगरौं ।’ यातनाकै कारण २८ वर्षको उमेरमा पनि वृद्ध जस्ती देखिन्छिन् निर्मला । उनका अनुसार भदौ अन्तिम साता पतिले मदिरा सेवन गरी घर नछोड्ने भए छोराहरू मारिदिन्छु भन्दै कान्छालाई खोलामा बगाइदिए । उनलाई एक स्थानीय पसलेले उद्धार गरेर जोगाइदिए । त्यसपछि निर्मला छोरा च्यापेर रातारात भागिन् । माइती बाजुरा जान हिँडेकी उनी मष्टा गाउँपालिकाको बस्थल र नौलावन भन्ने जंगलमा ४ दिनसम्म हराइन् । करिब ३५ सय मिटर उचाइमा रहेको जंगलमा जाडो र भोकका कारण अर्धबेहोस अवस्थामा पल्टिरहेका उनीहरूलाई जयपृथ्वी नगरपालिकाको कैलाश गाउँका भेडापालक सुरेन्द्र सिंहले भेटेर उद्धार गरेका थिए । ‘चार दिनदेखि खाना नखाएका, जाडो र पानीले भिजेर सबैका ओठ काला भइसकेका थिए । सुरुमा त मरेर अररिएका हुन् कि जस्तो लागेको थियो । गएर छामेपछि महिलाले आँखा खोलेर पानी भनिन्,’ सुरेन्द्रले सुनाए, ‘बच्चा पनि ज्युँदै रहेछन् । खर्कमा लगेर दुई दिन स्याहार गरेपछि उनीहरूलाई बस्तीतिर पठाइदिएँ ।’ आफूले त्यस दिन नभेटेको भए भोकप्यास र जाडोले अररिएर तीनैजनाको मृत्यु भइसक्ने उनी बताउँछन् । त्यहाँबाट मष्टा गाउँपालिकाको रनाडा पुगेकी निर्मलालाई अहिले स्थानीय ध्वजबहादुर द्वालले संरक्षण दिइरहेका छन् । उनले १५ वर्षको उमेरमा लिमका गम्भीर बोहरासँग भारतमा विवाह गरेकी थिइन् । सानै उमेरमा बाबुसँगै भारत गएकी उनलाई माइती घर बाजुराको मार्तडी भन्नेसम्म थाहा छ । उनी विवाहपछि कहिल्यै माइतीको सम्पर्कमा गएकी छैनन् । आमाबाबुको अवस्था के कस्तो छ भन्ने पनि उनलाई थाहा छैन । सामान्य लेखपढ पनि नगरेकी निर्मलालाई घरेलु हिंसाविरुद्धको कानुनी उपचारबारे केही थाहा छैन । छिमेकीलाई आफूमाथिको यातनाबारे थाहा भए पनि पारिवारिक मामला भन्दै कसैले सहयोग नगरेको उनको भनाइ छ । बित्थडचिर गाउँपालिकाका अध्यक्ष प्रेमबहादुर बोहराले आफूलाई गम्भीर बोहराले दुई जनासँग बिहे गरेको बारे थाहा नभएको बताए । आफ्नो गाउँ टाढा रहेको भन्दै उनले निर्मलामाथिको यातनाबारेसमेत अनभिज्ञता दर्शाए । ‘महिलामाथि अन्याय भएको भए पीडकलाई कारबाही गरेर उनलाई न्याय दिन पहल गर्नेछु,’ उनले भने ।