BAJHANG, Sept 27: Samjhana BK was a charming girl. Twelve years old BK was a sixth grader at Mashta Basic School, a public school in Mashta Rural Municipality-2, a remote village in Bajhang. But as the pandemic forced schools across the country to shut down for multiple months, BK was staying home with her grandmother and two sisters. “Because her school was closed and she remained at home for most of the time, Samjhana helped us in household chores. She was gradually growing into a bigger, brighter and smarter girl,” recalls Haasu Kami, her grandmother who is now surviving with her darling granddaughter’s memories.
On September 23, the budding dreams of this family suddenly shattered when BK who had left her house at around 12PM never made her way back home. After having her midday lunch with her grandmother and two sisters, she left for their cow shed some 30 minutes away from her home. However, she never reached the shed.
She was kidnapped on the way, raped and murdered inside a temple near her house. While the family is frantically waiting for justice for the little gem of their house, the rapist and murderer is yet to be identified. Though police have arrested one Rajendra Bohora, a local from the same village, investigations are still underway.
Her body has been kept at the District Hospital for the last four days. Her family members still haven’t gone to the hospital to identify her body as they are adamant that the criminal be found first.
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“We will not see her body unless the criminal is identified and punished,” the victim's family said during a conversation with Republica.
BK’s parents have been working and living in India for the last four years. They had dreams to see their three girls grow into strong women. According to Kaami, BK’s grandmother, the parents had a conversation over the phone with the little girl a few days ago. She has asked them to bring new clothes, a new bag and a new phone this time when they come back home for Dashain. Both parents and the girls were eagerly waiting to reunite with each other.
But now, the situation is completely different as the family is in a deep state of mourning over their daughter’s brutal murder. According to the police, her dead body has multiple stabs made from a sharp object. Earrings made of gold had also been robbed from her ears.
On Saturday afternoon, a group of youths staged a demonstration at Maitighar, Kathmandu, demanding justice for BK. The demonstrators in the protest organized by the United Dalit Youths Struggle Committee demanded stringent punishment against the perpetrators.
BK’s case is not a new instance. Cases of rape increased significantly in the past two months and as many as 420 cases were registered in the country in this period, according to Nepal Police headquarters.
