The group of five masked people visited Timsina´s residence on Thursday evening and inquired with the domestic help at home if the residence belonged to the couple. [break] The group threatened to kill her when she refused to let them in. They also said they knew what to do with Yashoda and Lekhnath. The group however, escaped after the 14-year-old girl at home started crying aloud. The two journalists – husband and wife – were out of residence.
"Now I am sure at least I am not safe," said Yashoda, while speaking at a program organized to commemorate late Uma Singh on 13th day of the radio journalist´s murder. The program was jointly organized by, Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ), Working Women Journalist and Sancharika Samuha.
Police has been guarding the two journalists´ residence ever since. She said that after her visit to Uma´s residence in Janakpur in a fact-finding mission, she was close to Uma´s mother. "In recent days her mother used to call me every morning and tell me that I should help her daughter´s murders get punished," Yashoda said. "She had even named the person involved in her killings."
She expressed her suspicion that the people may have tapped her phone and would have been following the conversation between her and Uma´s mother.
Poshan KC, general secretary of FNJ said that threat against women journalists has increased after Uma´s murder. According to him, Kokila Dhakal in Illam and Rasana Dhakal in Birgunj also have been threatened. He also said that FNJ would even seek support from international community to ensure safety of journalists in Nepal if in case the government fails to end the state of impunity.
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