"She has not passed urine since yesterday (Tuesday) so she may have internal injury," Dr Shikshya Shrestha, Orthopedic Registrar at the Kathmandu Model Hospital, said.
"She may look like in a stable condition, but it is a serious case," Dr Shrestha summed up the condition of Bista who was flown to Kathmandu from Rukum Wednesday.
Bista, who also contributes political write-ups to local newspapers in Musikot, Rukum, had been receiving phone threats in connection with her recent commentary on local Jantidhara weekly.
In response to Maoist allegation of illicit relations between Minister of Information and Communications Shankar Pokahrel and former MP Tirtha Gautam, and sloganeering and waving black flags to Pokharel during his Rukum visit on October 27, Bista -- who was also former Rukum vice-chair of UML-inclined Press Chautari Nepal -- had written a commentary titled "Why do the Maoists need Tirtha´s sindoor?"
Tirtha´s husband Yadu Gautam, who was contesting the 1999 general elections on a CPN-UML ticket from Rukum Constituency No 2, was killed by the Maoists during the election campaign. The UML then fielded Tirtha from the constituency. She won the election. In the write-up, Bista had slammed the Maoists for Yadu´s killing and the dirty politics over his widow´s name.
Bista, a resident from Garayala-8 and currently living in district headquarters Musikot, had been receiving phone threats in connection with her write-up. Last week, she had issued a press statement saying that Maoist activists had been threatening her with life over a news story.
"She got a call from the same number (which was displayed as no number in Bista´s mobile set) saying that her sister-in-law has been admitted at the district hospital. They then waited for her on the way and attacked her," said her elder brother Udaya Kumar Bista, who has accompanied her to Kathmandu.
Udaya said three masked persons then blindfolded her and gradually cut her right fingers -- the hand she uses for writing -- and the sole of left foot even as she ran away to save her life. They also bashed her head. Udaya said she had phoned her colleague and told she was being chased by three persons.
They then pushed her over a cliff -- estimated to be around 80 feet -- in the forest and left her to die. She was found in an unconscious state in the forest Tuesday evening, the District Police Office said.
Minister Pokharel and senior UML leader KP Oli visited Bista at the Kathmandu Model Hospital Wednesday afternoon. Pokharel said the government will provide all costs of her treatment while Oli was typical in his Maoist bashing and slammed them for the attack.
"The word ´unidentified persons´ is used only by the Maoists. They have done it. They usually commit such crimes and try their level best not to admit it," Oli said.
Oli pointed to the symbolic significance of cutting the fingers that write news, slashing the sole of foot that is used to collect news and thumping the head that produces thoughts, and called it an ultimate crime. "They (Maoists) have the greatest rage over head. They don´t like men with brain. Head produces thoughts so they bashed her head," Oli reasoned and said this incident again showed that Maoists are criminals and not a political force.
Bista is also a central delegate of the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) from Rukum. Meanwhile, our correspondent Gajendra Bohara reports from Dang that the Press Chautari Nepal organized rallies in all five districts in Rapti zone on Wednesday. Members of Nepal Press Union and Nepal Journalists Association (Revolutionary) also joined in the protests organized by the Press Chautari Nepal in Musikot.
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