A complaint has been filed against six people, including the ward chairperson, for allegedly beating, abusing and tying homeowner Birendra Sah to a tree in a dispute over digging an agricultural road in Aurahi Rural Municipality-3, but no arrests have been made.
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Birendra Sah, 28, of Aurahi Rural Municipality-3, Pipara, was at home on Monday morning. Suddenly, after receiving information that a dozer had arrived to demolish a fence on his land, he rushed there.
Ward Chairman Jivachh Yadav and others had come with the dozer. Birendra pleaded not to demolish the wall. However, the ward chairman said, “I am not ready to listen to anything you have to say,” and ordered the dozer to be used. Then he stood near the wall that was about to be demolished, protesting. At that moment, some locals, including the ward chairman, abused and beat Birendra and tied him to a nearby tree with a rope. Birendra kept crying, the dozer drove over the wall in front of his eyes, the structure was demolished.
“I did not say that there should be no development, but injustice has been done in a vengeful manner by targeting the people here because they did not vote for development.” I wanted a solution,' Birendra told Kantipur, 'But, when I asked for a solution, they tied me to a tree, I kept crying, the dozer kept running.'
An agricultural road was constructed through this land last year in Asad under the leadership of Ward Chairman Yadav. According to Devsharan Yadav, the Chief Administrative Officer of the rural municipality, 640 meters of agricultural road were constructed with a budget of 1.5 million. In the process, about 15 dhurs of land out of 1 katha 16 dhurs of land in the name of Birendra's father Mahadev Sah, along with some other locals, were unilaterally taken.
Some locals including Birendra opposed it at the time, due to which the road could not be used due to controversy. Birendra alleges that the reason for forcibly building a road on private land in this way is the personal interest of the Ward Chairman. According to him, the fields of Ward Chairman Yadav, Consumers Committee Chairman Hema Yadav and the Ward Chairman's relatives lie on that road.
‘The ward chairman and others opened that road with the intention of increasing the value of their land,’ he said, ‘But, I was ready to give the land for the road anyway, thinking that it would be good if the village developed. My demand was that the land be taken from one side, but with the intention of taking revenge for the election, he took my land from both sides.’
In a video that went viral on social media, people including ward chairman Yadav are seen tying Birendra to a tree. In it, ward chairman Yadav is seen scolding Birendra. Ward chairman Yadav claimed that Birendra had encroached on the road and that the locals tied his hands after he obstructed him when he went to clear it. Yadav is currently absconding.
‘An agricultural road was built there last year, but it was encroached upon,’ he had said in an interview with Kantipur before absconding, ‘When Birendra was going to clear the land, he obstructed it, and then people tied him up.’ When asked if he himself is seen in the video, he had said, ‘That is all wrong.’
After the video of Birendra tied to a tree went public on social media, the police took interest and inquired about the incident from the victim. The next day, Tuesday, the District Police Office, Siraha, registered a complaint filed by the victim against six people, including the ward chairman.
A complaint has been registered against six people, including ward chairman Yadav, locals Hema Yadav, Ram Babu Yadav, Mukesh Yadav, Sudip Yadav and Bisun Yadav, for indecent behavior, informed Basudev Pathak, Chief Superintendent of Police at the District Police Office, Siraha. According to Superintendent of Police Pathak, a search operation is underway for them.
The National Human Rights Commission has also taken interest in this incident. The commission's team reached the spot on Wednesday and took information about it. Birendra said that the commission has assured him that it will take the initiative to seek justice.
Local Ram Ekwal Yadav says that Ward Chairman Yadav has been abusing his position in the past, threatening and abusing ordinary people, and conducting ward activities in a selfish and arbitrary manner. According to him, a few months ago, he had abused local Rupesh Yadav over the distribution of wheat seeds. Rupesh filed a complaint on this issue and after discussion, a reconciliation was reached between the two, according to the District Police Office, Siraha. The current incident is a cruel crime against humanity, but even though the police registered a case, they have not shown any interest in arresting him, said Dipendra Yadav of Aurahi.
‘The police have registered a case, but it does not seem to be paying attention to making arrests,’ he told Kantipur. ‘This is what happens, cases are registered, but the bigwigs are not arrested. This further increases the morale of the criminals, due to which such cruel incidents continue to occur in the villages of Madhesh. ’
