After two members of the family lost their lives in a span of four days while seeking justice, other family members are terrified. As they are unable to stay at home due to fear, relatives come and wait for them at night.
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The victim's family is now terrified after the father and daughter lost their lives within a span of four days due to lack of justice. The victim's family has not been able to sleep well even in their own home.
The family is in a state of panic after the incident that took place in Badhaiyatal Rural Municipality-4, South Bhakari. After two members of the family lost their lives in a span of four days, other family members are in panic. Since the incident, the family members have not been able to sleep peacefully at home due to fear. Since the family members are not able to stay at home due to fear, relatives have come and wait for them at night.
After 22-year-old Anju Tharu lost her life on Kartik 22 and her 61-year-old father Kanchha Tharu on Kartik 25, other family members have become panicked. The family includes Anju's 7-year-old daughter Anita, her mother, brother, sister-in-law and sister-in-law. Since they are unable to stay at home due to fear, relatives have started coming from about 7/8 kilometers away and waiting for them every night.
Anju's sister-in-law Suman Kumari Tharu said that they are in panic due to the flashbacks of the two consecutive incidents. ‘After two members of the family lost their lives within four days due to lack of justice, we are very scared and cannot even sleep at home at night,’ she said. ‘When we cannot sleep at home due to fear, elder sister Sirjana from Lakhana in Bansgadhi Municipality-3 and younger sister Sabina from Belwa come to sleep at night and wake up at 5 am to go home.’
The pain of recently losing two members is similar, and Arun Tharu said that he is even more stressed when his mother’s throat swells due to thyroid disease because he cannot get medical treatment due to his weak financial situation. ‘Since I am a squatter, I have a house far from the village on the land I got from the commission and no matter how scared I am, I have nowhere to go.’
Anju, neglected by her husband, did not get her due share as the ward and district administration did not grant her citizenship. Similarly, they refused to register the birth of her daughter Anita. Anju committed suicide at home after being unable to get citizenship and inheritance from her husband due to discrimination. Her father, 61-year-old Kanchha Tharu, who had been fighting for justice with her, also followed her daughter's path four days later.
Neglected by her husband, Anju had filed an inheritance case in court. The court had ruled that she would get an inheritance, but since she did not have citizenship, she could not get an inheritance. The ward and district administration refused to grant her citizenship. Her family claims that Anju was forced to choose death in despair when the ward refused to even register her daughter Anita's birth.
'Citizenship discrimination against women: State did not provide justice, father gave his life' After the news was published in Kantipur Daily on Mangsir 19, the Ministry of Home Affairs formed an investigation committee after Prime Minister Sushila Karki took an interest and gave instructions on Mangsir 20.
A three-member investigation committee was formed under the coordination of Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs Suresh Panthi, including Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs Kulshekhar Aryal and Assistant Chief District Officer of Bardiya Ashok Kumar Bhandari. The committee was ordered to conduct an impartial investigation and submit a report within 5 days. However, even after a week, the committee has not been able to submit the report.
The committee reached Bardiya on Mangsir 24 and started the investigation. On the same day, the Badhaiyatal Rural Municipality-4 Ward Office provided the death certificate of Anju, who had not been granted citizenship while she was alive, and the birth certificate of her 7-year-old daughter Anita.
On Mangsir 24, the investigation committee questioned the victim's family and Ward Chairman of Badhaiyatal-4, Nare Thapa, and others separately. The next day, the investigation committee returned to Kathmandu on Mangsir 25 in the evening after informing the administration about the incident.
Bardiya Assistant District Officer Bhandari, a member of the investigation committee, said that the report could not be submitted by Thursday. ‘The investigation has reached its final stage,’ he said, ‘and the committee is preparing to submit a report to the government soon.’
After Anju’s death, a case of abetment to suicide was filed against her husband Anil Tharu at the Area Police Office Mainapokhar. Anil, who had a permanent residence in Badhaiyatal-4, Dakshin Bhakari, had been living in Banke Kohalpur Municipality-6 for a few years. On November 29, the police arrested Anil from Kohalpur-11 Goal Park and took a 5-day remand from the court and are investigating.
Also read:
Committee formed to investigate the Bardiya incident.
Prime Minister Karki directs the Home Minister to study the Bardiya incident.
