The Kalimati vegetable market in Kathmandu is busy from early morning. It is always bustling with small and big businessmen and porters unloading vegetables from their vehicles, buying vegetables, and running shops. However, on February 24, a different scene was seen in Kalimati. Some people carrying mobile phones in their hands surrounded a woman and seemed to be interrogating her. They were talking to the woman in a loud voice and were beating her. The woman who was frightened by the angry crowd of people was Renuka Baral, whose permanent home is Syangja Chapakot. Renuka, who lives with her two children and husband in a dormitory in Khadka village in Kalanki, Kathmandu, runs a small vegetable and grocery shop. She had gone there as usual to buy vegetables for the shop. It was at that time that the incident occurred. As she watched, the crowd of people approaching her was increasing. Many of whom were filming on their mobile phones. The videographers were asking, ‘Sister, when are you going to cut off your ears?’ Renuka initially tried to resist. However, as the crowd of people asking her questions in a loud voice as if they were being put in a cage started increasing, she seemed helpless. She was trying to say something, but there was no one there to listen to her. She was trying to escape from the crowd, but she was not able to. After some hesitation, she called the Nepal Police hotline 100 and called the police. After a while, she started returning to the vegetable cart. Even then, the number of people following her and behaving in an indecent manner had not decreased. Someone was asking her, ‘Balen Shah won, sister, now you have to cut off your ears.’ The entire country was in a frenzy for the elections to be held on Falgun 21. Renuka had also reached her village in Chapakot from Kathmandu to cast her vote. Since she has a general political faith in UML, she was interested in who would win in Jhapa-5. She had reached Jankalyan Secondary School polling station in Chapakot to vote. Outside the polling station, people had gathered in small groups and were arguing whether senior RSVP leader Balendra Shah would win the election in Jhapa-5 or UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli. Renuka was in one such group. At that time, someone asked her, what would be the result of Jhapa-5? In the heat of politics, Renuka also said bluntly, ‘If Balen wins, I will cut off this ear in Jhapa and go to the teaching hospital to get it stitched and give the gold earring to Balen.’

What did Renuka know? What she said would spread on social media and become a trap for herself.

Someone was filming what she said. But, what did Renuka know that what she said would spread on social media and become a trap for herself. The person who filmed what Renuka said was a local youth, Soni Pandey. He posted what Renuka said on Facebook. The video went viral in an instant. As soon as she reached home after voting, she received a call from her niece. The niece said in a panicked voice, ‘Maju, your video has come on TikTok.’ People are cursing her indiscriminately, tell her to delete it immediately.' Immediately, she received calls from several friends and relatives. Everyone said the same thing. Then Renuka started panicking. She never thought that what she said in Khyalkhyala would spread like this and that people would curse and mock her. The clip of what she said had already spread on many pages and accounts on social media.

I cried a lot, that time was difficult for me. I kept wondering what I had said and done. The day after the election, she was in a hurry to return to Kathmandu. Because she had to open a shop and start regular work. However, her time started to be wasted because of that video. As soon as she reached the international airport in Pokhara to return to Kathmandu, people started making fun of her there too. Some people even started filming her videos. Some people started laughing and saying, 'Isn't that the same sister who cut her ears?' She reached Kathmandu ignoring everything. However, she faced the same mistreatment outside the airport in Kathmandu. She said, ‘Even when I was leaving the airport, many people made fun of me. They made fun of me. I was harassed.’

The discussion on social media had already entered her home. Renuka realized the real impact of the video when she reached home and listened to her children. Renuka, who had left her children at home and gone to vote, felt completely humiliated. Because her two children, who were studying at the school level, started crying as soon as they saw her. ‘Your video has insulted us, how will we go to school? What will my friends say?’ She became very emotional with such questions from her children. Recalling that time, she said, ‘I cried a lot, that time was difficult for me. I kept wondering what I said and did.’

Renuka is a supporter of UML, but she has not received any lucrative position for joining this party. Her father became the VDC president from UML in 2054 BS. Since childhood, she grew up watching the political competition between Congress and UML. In recent years, her family suffered greatly during the Maoist conflict. Growing up in a family connected to politics, Renuka developed a nature to speak her mind. Renuka, who grew up with the joys and sorrows of farming, became responsible for managing the household after getting married in 2066 BS. Renuka, who studied up to Plus Two, also worked as a social worker in Chapakot Municipality after her marriage. When her husband started a government job, she left her job and reached Lamjung in 2079 BS. Renuka, who wanted to do something on her own, opened a vegetable and grocery shop in the district headquarters, Besisahar. She came to Kathmandu last July and said, ‘The shop was doing well, the income was also good.’ However, she had to come to Kathmandu for her children’s education.’ Renu is not a leader. She is not a public figure. She is a woman who has been raising a family through hardship. Her husband is an administrative officer in a rural municipality. She has settled in Kathmandu for her children’s education and future. Her work starts at 4 am every day. Be it winter, summer or rain, she goes to Kalimati Bazaar in Kathmandu every morning to buy vegetables. However, that day turned out to be the most unpleasant morning in her life. She explained the background of her struggle, ‘My husband is the only son in the house. It is difficult for him to support his children and the family with his single income. That's why I'm doing my best.'

It is not easy to run a grocery shop and a vegetable shop at the same time. Her busy schedule starts in the morning and continues till late at night. Where is the work of the shop easy? She carries sacks of rice when she is tired. She goes to customers’ houses carrying water jars and gas cylinders. She said, ‘Being the wife of an official, I get a lot of criticism for carrying rice and vegetables, but I never lost courage, I always continued my work steadfastly.’

After the results of Jhapa-5 were announced, she started feeling even more uncomfortable. After UML Chairman Oli was defeated by Balendra Shah by about 50,000 votes, a video shot on election day started circulating on social media again. And the rain of ridicule, insults and threats against him in the digital space started again. Dozens of memes have been made using his photo. Dozens of videos have been made and some have even said that he should be punished or his ears should be cut off wherever he is found. Some have even made it a condition that he apologize. Among those who are abusing and following him are some Gen Z, some young people, some educated people and many influencers on social media. And then there are those who live in the country and abroad.

Renuka, who is aware of all this violence and hatred being directed at her in the digital space, told Kantipur, ‘What have I done wrong that I should apologize for?’ No one's house has been damaged, no one has been harmed personally.' Wherever she goes in the course of work, she is being forced to speak by pointing her mobile phone at her. Some of them have even abused her. She said, 'They come to the shop, make videos.' But later they write and post whatever they find.'

Renuka is tired of all this trolling and insulting. That is why she has said that she is now preparing to take the legal route. She has warned through the video that she will file a cyber case for making the video public without permission. She said that the attack on her was insulting. She said, 'Leaders and ministers have said so much, but have not fulfilled it. But, why should I suffer so much insult for one word?'

Renuka is urging people who work hard to earn a living not to be chased away like this. However, those who listen to her and have goodwill towards her are like searching for water in a desert.

Sociologist Nirmala Pokharel interpreted the comments on social media about ordinary citizen Renuka's statements as a disorderly trend. She said that people have been speaking indiscriminately recently to go viral, saying, "Her presentation is provocative, but the tendency to make that content go viral is a disorderly trend." She said that arresting Renuka and surrounding her on the road is a wrong trend. Pokharel said that many top leaders are making statements during the election that may not be fulfilled, but arresting ordinary people for speaking is a disorderly trend.