A ninth grader at Saraswoti Secondary School of Bajung, Samjhana was brilliant student. She would always top her class. Even while helping her mother in household chores, she could manage time to do her homework. [break]
Nearly three years ago, Samjhana went into a nearby forest to collect fodder for cattle. But, she did not return home. When Poudel searched for her, she was found dead in a crop-field off the Baglung-Pokhara road on September 19, 2010. Circumstantial evidences indicated that she was gang-raped before being killed.
Later, a police investigation confirmed that Samjhana was gang-raped and killed. Five local boys were arrested on the charge of raping and murdering her.
On Friday this week, the Appellate Court of Baglung sentenced four of the five convicts to life imprisonment along with confiscation of their properties. The fifth convict who has already served a two-year jail-term has been released by the court.
“I am pleased to see the murderers of my daughter behind bars,” said Poudel. “It has restored my faith in our judicial system.” Poudel did not get justice easily. One year ago, the Baglung district court had sentenced only one of the five accused, Ganesh Kunwar of Bajung-1, to life imprisonment. While one convict was sentenced to jail for three years, the other three were sentenced to jail for only two years.
Poudel was not satisfied with the district court´s verdict. He moved the appellate court demanding life imprisonment for all the convicts. The appellate court upheld the district court´s verdict on Ganesh. In the cases of four other convicts, Bodh Bahadur Poudel, Amrit Kunwar and Nishan KC, all of them from Bajung-1, were awarded life imprisonment with property attachment.
However, Phanindar Kunwar, who was sentenced to just two years in jail by the district court, was not found guilty enough to be awarded life imprisonment by the appellate court. Kunwar was set free as he had already spent two years in jail.
A joint bench of justices Nita Gautam and Umesh Poudel also found them guilty of gang-raping and murdering Samjhana. In its report, the Baglung police have stated that the convicts found Samjhana when they were returning home after watching a movie in Kushma bazaar. They were drunk, too.
Samjhana´s grandfather Prem Poudel says some of the convicts are his distant relatives. “The court´s order has sent a message that no one can get away by committing such a heinous crime,” said he.
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