ACHHAM, Dec 19: Roshani Tiruwa, 15, of Gajra - 7 died on Saturday night in Chhaupadi goth (isolated shed) where women and girls and kept during menstruation. Her family members found her body lying in the shed on Saturday morning. This is the second incident of Chhaupadi death in Achham within a month. On November 19, Dambara Upadhyay, 21, was found dead in Chhaupadi shed.
According to SP Badri Prasad Dhakal, Roshani must have died due to suffocation as she had lit a small fire in the shed to warm herself. “Lack of air might have claimed her life. She lit the fire inside,” said SP Dhakal.
Roshani's father said that she had taken the evening meal at around 6 pm and went inside the shed to sleep. When she was not seen till late in the morning, he gave her a call from outside.
“Then we saw her dead body,” he said. “As it was her holiday on Saturday, we thought she had gone to jungle to collect firewood,” he added.
She was a ninth grader at Rastara Bhasah Secondary School and was undergoing third day of menstruation.
According to SP Dhakal, lack of ventilation in the narrow shed might have caused the tragic death. “There was lack of oxygen as she lit fire in the very narrow shed that had no ventilation,” he said.
Just a month ago when Dambara Upadhyay, a local of Timilsen VDC, had died in Chhaupadi shed. It was also reported that she died due to lack of oxygen. She was also told to have lit fire in the shed.
Remarkably, Gajra was declared Chhaupadi free VDC on September 26, 2015. The declaration was made by the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare with support of Save the Children.
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