DHANGADHI, March 14: After the gruesome murder of her parents by an unidentified person/s recently, a six month old baby is left at the mercy of Maya Metro Hospital of Dhangadi. When the incident took place two weeks ago, the baby, Mamata Bhandari, was also hurt. After treatment, she has now recovered.
"There was an internal injury in her head. But now her health is normal," said Bindu Thakulla, a health worker involved in her treatment. "But she is too small to do fine without her mother," she added.
According to a doctor Mohan Saud, there was internal injury in the baby's head though it looked okay from outside. She remained under treatment for two weeks. "The criminals seem to be heartless. There was a blood clot in her brain. It seems they picked her and hit her against the floor," he said.
Since the baby has lost her parents, the hospital provided her free treatment. Chairperson of the hospital Dhirendra Saud stated that it was obvious on humanitarian grounds. "We did it for free. There is nobody to pay for her," he said.
Curious concerns
But now the baby has nowhere to go. It is not known who will take care of her after she is discharged from the hospital.
A lady called Rambha Bista has been taking care of the baby at the hospital. Bista stated that she could not leave the helpless baby alone, so she has been staying at the hospital for the baby.
However, she is clueless what is in store for the baby. "I saw her here only. And after knowing that she had no one with her, I started taking care of her. But I do not know where I can keep her after taking her from here," said Bista. "She needs her mother. She needs to be breastfed, she is looking for that. It is heart wrenching," Bista added.
The baby's father, Jayalal Bhandari had two sons from his first wife. The baby's mother Dhandevi, 22, was his second wife whom he had married after his first wife died of cancer. Along with the baby, the couple used to live in a small cottage in Kanchanpur.
On February 27, Dhanadevi's younger sister Parwati visited the former's house. Parwati was the first person to reach the crime scene. She reported that her sister and brother-in-law were found dead.
"When I reached their home, it was quiet. I was about to return as there was no buzz. But then I heard the baby crying. When I entered, I saw them lying down in a pool of blood and they had already left the world," Parwati narrated, adding that the baby and her father were in one room and her sister was in another room in the cottage.
According to DSP Suraj Karki, the case is under investigation. It is a matter of curiosity that the husband and wife were found in two different rooms. "We have been investigating from different angles," he said. "Sharp weapons have been used to kill them, both have been slain," Karki added.
Locals have shown concern over the matter and the 'slow' police investigation. The feel insecure as the police haven't been able to nab the culprits even two weeks after the crime, they say.
"It's already been two weeks and the police have not yet identified the murderer of my daughter and son-in-law. They are too slow," said Dhanadevi's mother. "This has made everyone very anxious," she added.
Meanwhile, Kanchanpur Police chief, SP Mukunda Marasini said the police is serious and the culprit will be booked. "We are investigating the case seriously. It may take some time, but we will get to the culprit," he claimed.
He further stated that close family members of the couple are also being interrogated. Dhanadevi's ex-boyfriend is being investigated too.
A local of Kanchanpur, Tek Bahadur Bista said that the gruesome murder has not grabbed the attention of big media. And so, police is not under pressure to give it any priority. "We feel that the case is not being taken that seriously. Had the big media given it space, things would have been different," he said.
