I left for Narayanghat from the printing press at Imadole, Lalitpur at 4:20 in the morning with the freshly printed newspapers. Company staffer Arun was also with me. We reached Naubise at around 5:30 A.M. after dropping off some of the newspapers at Thankot and Khanikhola, and had tea there. [break]
I dropped the papers meant for Pokhara at Kuringhat. My house is just nearby and my brother asked me to take his son along to Narayanghat for treatment. My friend Arun had complained of a headache just before reaching Kuringhat. So I asked him to return to Kathmandu.
I left Kuringhat with my seven-year-old nephew. I stopped at Sugam Petrol Pump at Dasdhunga after dropping off more papers at Munglin and filled 10 liters of fuel. There was a man at the petrol pump with a motorcycle. He asked a pump handler where my van was headed. The latter pointed at me saying I was the driver and told the man to ask me.
The man did so while I was putting the cap on the fuel tank. Being straightforward, I said I was going to Narayanghat. The bike then left ahead of me. I was driving at my own pace after delivering some of the papers to police at Jugedi, to traffic police checking along the way and to police at Ramnagar.
When I came to a turning in the jungle after crossing a petrol pump from Ramnagar Police Post I saw four bikes even as I pondered who the man was that asked me at Dasdhunga where I was going. It would have been around 8:45. There were seven or eight of them and they stopped my van. They scattered toward the front and back of the vehicle, snatched the key out of the ignition and threw it away.
One of them asked which newspaper it was carrying. I said Nagarik and Republica. They then discussed among themselves what to do. One of them said to torch the van, what else. I said the van was personal property and did not belong to the newspaper company, and requested them to torch only the papers if they were angry with the company.
They shouted profanities at me and threatened to torch me also if I did not shut up. One of them was asking me to come out while another start to sprinkle petrol and saw-dust on the van to set in on fire with me and my nephew inside along with the newspapers.
They then started to smash the windshield with large stones and torch the van. I tried to save my nephew, hiding him below the dashboard. He started to cry even as the fire blazed. They started to pelt stones inside the vehicle after both the front part and back seat were burnt, leaving just my seat unburnt.
They again shouted profanities warning me not to douse the fire, and then they fled. The other motorcycles had left and I gazed at the number plate of the last motorcycle till it crossed the water tank. It was Na 7 Pa 3768. After that I took my nephew out from below the dashboard and came out of the burning van.
The van was almost completely gutted when I came out. A truck came by while I was wondering what to do and I got a lift. I informed police at Aanptari about what happened. When I reached the spot again in a police van other policemen had already arrived.
I was really petrified while my nephew was in no condition to speak. I didn´t face such a problem even during the emergency. The policemen were trying to put out the fire. I can just remember the face of the man snatching the key. I don´t remember the others. I am really worried now. I don´t know if I will be able to continue my work.
My brother also came to Chitwan. "They were angry with the newspapers. So, they burnt them. But torching the vehicle with a seven-year-old inside is barbaric," my brother fumed.
My nephew is still in shock. He has been asking his mother what will happen next. He uttered some words only when I asked him not to worry and said I would come with a new vehicle.
(Based on a conversation with Chandni Hamal)
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