An angry mob gathered at Belbari village in Morang district had smeared black root on her face, hung a garland of shoes over her neck and thrashed her mercilessly on Monday. [break]
Her only fault was that she mistakenly accused Jeevan Bhetwal, a local resident for the attempted rape on Sunday evening."A person grabbed me from behind and tried to gag me at a solitary place while I was returning home from the restaurant where I work,” she had told the police. “Though I could not see him, his voice was very similar to that of Jeevan. In an attempt to break loose from his hold, I bite his fingers and he fled before I could see him."
Acting upon her complaint, the police had detained Bhetwal. But he was freed after there was no mark of bite on his hands. She thought the case was settled after she apologized to Jeeven.
But she was wrong. The next day, the villagers summoned her to Annapurna Boarding School where she was publicly assaulted.
Manoj Biswokarma, the editor of the local weekly Fight, was also manhandled for covering Maya´s news.
" Bhetwal had pardoned Maya after she apologized, and, and the case was settled. But the very next day, the locals took the law in their own hand," said Inspector Dilip Giri from Belbari Area Police Station.
"When I reached the school, the locals surrounded me and started yelling at me for helping Maya. They painted by face black and punched me from everywhere," said Manoj.
After the assault, the police have arrested six persons on the basis of Maya´s statement. They will be charged with public offense.
Meanwhile, condemning inhuman treatment meted out to Maya, the right activist and Dalit organizations organized protest programs in Morang on Wednesday. Over a dozen rights organizations including the Dalit Commission have demanded a strong action against the guilty.
Similarly, the Nepal Police Headquarters have directed the Eastern Regional Police Office to form a team to investigate the incident. The team led by Superintendent of Police (SP) Sekhar Koirala has been asked to submit a detailed report within three days.
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