Indra Bahadur BK left Nepal six years ago to work as a security guard in Dubai for the sole reason that his pension from the Nepali Army was enough to cover his daily expenses, but it was not enough to cover his growing expenses. On top of that, his daughter Inisha, who was growing up, had big dreams. Sometimes she would say she would become a doctor, sometimes an engineer, and sometimes an army officer. As is the nature of adolescence, she kept changing her mind. Indra Bahadur thought that he needed money to fulfill his daughter's dream and that he had to go far away for that. 'I had gone abroad to fulfill my daughter's dream,' he said, 'but her dream was stolen on the way.'

16-year-old Inisha was found unconscious in the Janajagaran Community Forest in Birendranagar-4, Surkhet on Saturday, February 23. Police and locals took her to the provincial hospital, about 3 kilometers away. The doctor declared her dead before reaching the hospital. The post-mortem report confirmed that she died due to excessive bleeding due to a deep injury to her genitals. Forensic expert Dr. Arbin Shakya said that it appeared that there was forced sexual intercourse. Four minors have been arrested on charges of involvement in the incident.

As soon as he received the news, Indra Bahadur tried to return home from Dubai but could not. The airport was closed due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. He came to Nepal only three days later. Now he has only one demand - justice for his daughter. He is adamant that he will not accept the body until justice is done. 'The incident has been tried to be distorted in various ways,' he said, 'those involved should be brought to the maximum extent of action.'

For everyone who knew her, Inisha had a different nature. She had a nature that could leave an impression on the first meeting. After passing SEE with 'A' grade, Inisha was studying in class 11 in the science faculty at Usha Balwatika Secondary School in Birendranagar. Initially, her goal was to study biology and become a doctor. However, later her mind turned towards engineering and she took up computer science. 

Indra Prasad Chapagain, her teacher who has been teaching her Nepali since grade 9, remembers Inisha as a diligent and good student. ‘She never greeted me, she used to bow her head saying ‘Pranam Gurudev’,’ he said, ‘She was also cordial with other teachers and friends, I have not heard any complaint about her till now.’ 

Incident, investigation and demand for justice: Understand the rape and murder case of Inisha BK in five questions and answers

Chapagain also remembered that he gave her a prize for winning first place in a handwriting competition when she was in grade 9. Her classmates also remember Inisha in the same way. According to Prakriti Bhattarai, she was never angry, made friends quickly and was close to others. Sabbha Acharya, who studied with her, says, ‘Whenever she studied, had the feeling that she had to do everything together. She was always smiling.’ 

Inisha's childhood was spent in Badakholi, Gurbhakot Municipality, Surkhet district. Then she reached Kathmandu with her family. After some time, she returned to Surkhet. Before returning to Surkhet, a tragic incident happened in Inisha's family. She lost her 5-year-old brother Ishaan forever. 'Even after being treated in the ICU of Siddhi Smriti Hospital in Bhaktapur, he did not recover,' said mother Tila, recalling the moment she lost her son. 'He died within two days of being admitted to the hospital. My son was in great pain, and now my daughter has suffered like this. How can we cope?' Tila herself is currently battling asthma. 

According to neighbors, the Bik family had a good relationship with everyone. Since most of the families in the neighborhood came from Gurbhakot, their customs and feelings were similar. 'They have been living together for 5-7 years, they have always had a good relationship,' said neighbor Premkala Nepali. ‘I have also taken care of her when things were difficult,’ said another neighbor, Kalpana Bik. ‘We never thought something like this would happen.’

A teenager’s statement in the Inisha murder case

The day before the incident, the mother and daughter made a plan to go to Gurbhakot on Saturday. The next morning, Inisha got ready to go for tuition. Inisha left the house at 6 am for tuition, telling her mother that she would come soon and go to Gurbhakot with her. After hearing her daughter’s words, Tila simply said, ‘Come soon.’ 

However, Inisha did not return even at 9 am. Her mobile was switched off. Tila called her computer teacher, Madhav Sapkota. But the call did not go through. Teacher Sapkota told Kantipur that he was busy with household chores that day as the school had given him leave for the elections. He said, ‘I was busy with my own household chores. After hearing the incident, I was very sad, we lost a good student.’ 

Soon, Tila's mobile rang. It was an unsaved number. As soon as she picked up the phone, a stranger's voice came from the other side, "Inisha is unconscious in the forest near Shaheed Park."

Tila rushed to the scene. "The girl's body was completely covered in blood, her hair was disheveled, and grass was piled up around her," she said. "The body was covered in a black jacket. I fainted right there because I couldn't see." By then, the police had reached the spot. Locals took Inisha to the provincial hospital. But it was too late.

00000

Shortly before the incident, Inisha and a 16-year-old teenager were seen walking hand in hand near the Janajagaran Community Forest in CCTV footage. According to her friends, she had become close to the teenager. There are two ways to enter the Janajagaran Community Forest Area – one is the busy road leading to Shahid Park in Bhairav ​​Community Forest and the other is a deserted road leading to the Province Ayurveda Dispensary. Locals estimate that they reached the forest through a deserted road. 

There is a temporary police post in Shahid Park, about a 10-minute walk from the incident site. On the day of the incident, 6 soldiers were at the post, led by a police constable. Senior Constable Karna Bahadur Shahi said that they reached the scene after the accused informed them about the incident. He said that they were initially unaware of the incident as it was a community forest area and the incident took place in a gorge. “Since we were unable to carry out the rescue and action alone, we called the district police and asked for additional security personnel,” he said. “Only then did we rescue the girl and send her to the hospital.” 

In his statement to the police, the 16-year-old teenager who was arrested from the incident site said that they had consensual sex and that he called his friends after he bled profusely. ‘Inisha and I had been in physical contact for two years,’ he said in his statement to the police. ‘That day too, after much discussion, we agreed to have sex. After having sex, there was a lot of blood. She stopped talking. I panicked.’ He says that initially all three friends refused to come and came only after repeated calls.

Inisha’s family has completely rejected the accused teenager’s statement and has filed a complaint against all four for dereliction of duty and rape. They allege that it was gang rape. ‘There have been attempts to sabotage the incident in various ways,’ his father Indra Bahadur told Kantipur from Dubai. 

Inisha BK death case: Body at provincial hospital for a week

According to the police, the forensic report is consistent with the family’s statement. DSP Mohanjung Budthapa, spokesperson of the District Police Office, Surkhet, said that rape has been confirmed based on both the statements of the accused and the postmortem. "The hymen was torn and there was excessive bleeding. That also matches the accused's own statement. Based on both the evidence, it can be said that the murder took place after rape," he said. Dr. Shakya's postmortem report also mentions a drag on the back and injuries to both the external and internal parts of the genitals. 

According to the police, the government prosecutor's office is collecting evidence through the police for the girl's argument. Since the accused teenagers are currently giving their statements, they have not hired a lawyer to argue on their behalf. "We are currently investigating," said DSP Mohanjung Budthapa of the District Police Office, "They will hire a lawyer only after the case goes to court."

Meanwhile, a team from the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) has also reached Surkhet for further investigation. Some samples have been sent to the Central Forensic Science Laboratory. A polygraph team from the Karnali Provincial Police Office, Nepalgunj is also working. Former CIB director Hemant Malla Thakuri interpreted the sending of a CIB team from the center for further investigation into the incident as an attempt to investigate it more seriously. He said, ‘In my understanding, the investigation in the district has also taken a path, and deploying a team from Kathmandu is also to make the investigation credible.’ According to locals, Inisha’s life could have been saved if she had received timely treatment. Local Prem Bik said that at least an hour and a half may have passed since they reached the forest, when the incident occurred, she fainted, and her friends arrived. ‘The excessive bleeding lasted for a long time and the death may have occurred because it was too late to take her to the hospital,’ he said. The grief has added to the grief of the grieving family. Indra Bahadur only learned after his daughter’s death that the school had repeatedly talked to the accused teenager and his family about two people being close to him before the incident. Inisha’s parents were never informed about the matter. ‘If such a thing happened, why were we not informed? Why was it hidden?’ he said.

4 arrested on charges of murdering Inisha BK

The school has not publicly responded to such allegations. Kantipur had asked the school’s principal Sushil Bhusal about the allegations that have been made public. He said that they were not aware of Inisha’s love affair and that they were ready to help in the investigation of the incident. ‘The culprit should not escape, strict action should be taken against the culprit,’ he said, ‘We are ready to cooperate on behalf of the school in that.’ Indra Bahadur, however, is not satisfied with the school’s role. He has only one question, ‘If the school was concerned about one student, why were the parents of the other student not informed about it.’