The story starts with the marriage of Bidhyapati Bhattarai with Ful Maya Nepali. As Bhattarai died shortly after the marriage, the identity of the son born to them as well as that of his widow came into question. Matters were further compounded as Bhattarai's relatives was never happy with the inter-caste marriage and were not ready to extend any support. The resulting hassles came to an end only after over one and half decades on Sunday when Durga Raj received not only his surname but also his citizenship certificate.
Bhuwan Rai, assistant supervisor at the Women and Child Development Office (WCDO), and child rights officer Rabin Rai were finally able to convince the district administration that Durga Raj was indeed Bidhyapati Bhattarai's son and should be given the Bhattarai surname also. After much argument over the case, the boy, who was born on July 13, 1998, was issued a citizenship certificate through his father's name, Sunday. Chief District Officer (CDO) Govinda Sapkota provided him with the certificate.Although the village council had prepared separate public inquiry reports for providing Ful Maya her citizenship certificate and Durga Raj his surname, the reports were not acted upon, according to Ful Maya's father Ganesh Nepali.
To date, Durga Raj never had a surname at school or elsewhere. His mother's surname would not do for society and his father was no longer around to stand up for him.
"At school my name was just 'Durga Raj'," he said. At present, he is in grade eight at Kalika Lower Secondary School, Dubekhol-6.
In general, surnames of children in Nepal are assigned after the caste of the father. And similarly, with no provision in Nepal for getting citizenship through the mother, children of widowed mothers who do not have proper papers are left without citizenship and hence deprived of the state's protection.
According to school principal Bhupa Bhandari, Durga Raj's self-esteem suffered a lot for lack of a clear identity. "He had to face unnecessary hassles as many certificates require the names of both parents. That was problematic indeed," said Bhandari.
On Sunday, Durga Raj was a happy individual when he came to district headquarters Diktel with his mother to claim his citizenship certificate. "Now I am a Bhattarai," he said, after the CDO handed him his citizenship papers.
According to locals, Durga Raj's parents had eloped as their respective families rejected their inter-caste marriage.
Meanwhile, Ful Maya had also remained deprived of her citizenship as she had lost her husband before he could get that document made out for her. In lack of a marriage certificate, it was not possible for her to claim citizenship through his name. And claiming it through her father's name was not easy either as she was already a married woman. "I had not made out my citizenship before marriage. I did not know it was so important. But after marriage, and moreover as I already had son, I was not given citizenship through my father's name," narrated Ful Maya.
But after much effort by her parents, she was issued her citizenship in her father's name just a few years ago. "But then, my citizenship is not weighty enough. I could not make out a citizenship for my son through my own," she added.
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