Incident Reports
Opposition accuses Chitwan ward chair of witchcraft, manhandles
2019-12-09
The ward chair of Ichchhakamana rural municipality-2 in Chitwan district has been manhandled, allegedly by the cadres of opposition Nepali Congress party. Accusing him of witchcraft, the opposition supporters smeared soot on the face of Pancha Bahadur Praja and garlanded him with shoes on Saturday evening.
Earlier, the opposition cadres had padlocked the ward office. When the ward chair opened the lock and tried to move the office, a dispute surfaced which resulted in the incident, according to locals.
“They even said that I should eat human feces, but I resisted,” Praja says, “I had two to three friends; they were beaten up.”
Police say they have arrested two locals–Uttar Kumar Gurung and Birkha Bahadur Gurung–for their alleged involvement in the incident.
The Nepal Communist Party has demanded legal action against the cadres who assaulted its leader.
Details and Impacts
| Violent / Non-violent | Violent |
| Onesided / Twosided | Onesided |
| Collective / Interpersonal | Collective |
| Primary Form | Assault (small group) |
| Secondary Form | Public humiliation |
| Weapons | None |
| Primary Cause | Extra-judicial response on basis of witchcraft allegations |
| Actor 1 - Number of people | 12 |
| Actor 1 - Affiliations | Nepali Congress and affiliated org |
| Actor 1 - Youth | unknown |
| Actor 2 - Number of people | 1 |
| Actor 2 - Affiliation (Target) | Local authorities (incl VDC, district, gov. line agencies at local level except education and health) |
| Actor 2 - Youth | noyouth |
