In Bhajani Municipality-1 of Kailali, a 28-year-old woman, Hasina Chaudhary, was brutally beaten over accusations of being a witch. The incident took place on December 1 and 4, with relatives and villagers involved in the assault. Hasina is currently receiving treatment at the New Life Hospital in Dhangadhi after sustaining serious injuries.
Hasina claims that Manoj Chaudhary, a local ‘Guru’ (deity in the Tharu community), accused her of witchcraft, prompting the assault. On December 1, Hasina’s family was asked to contribute a thousand rupees each, with Hasina also raising the money from her maternal family. That evening, while she was at home taking care of her children, several men, including Ram Lal Chaudhary, Karan Chaudhary, and Jairam Chaudhary, came to her house, dragged her outside, and began beating her.
One of Jairam’s sons, Ramesh, intervened and stopped the beating, but Hasina says she was left terrified and alone with her children as her husband had gone to India for work.
The following day, Hasina reported the incident to the police. However, on the next day, she was attacked again. A group of men and women, including Jairam, Ram Lal, Karan, and others, arrived at her house, dragged her out, and continued the assault. They took her to Guru Manoj’s house, where they forced her to lie on straw in the yard, continued beating her, and poured water on her. They insisted she confess to being a witch, but Hasina denied the accusation. The beating stopped only when her husband, Chunnilal, arrived, saving her from further harm.
Chunnilal, who had been working in India, was devastated upon learning about the incident. He rushed Hasina to a local health post and then to Dhangadhi, where she was admitted to the New Life Hospital’s ICU for six days. Her condition has since stabilized, but she still struggles with physical and mental health issues, including severe bruising and difficulty speaking.
Following the second attack, the police arrested four individuals, including Baburam Chaudhary, Manoj Chaudhary, Lahu Chaudhary, and Rupa Chaudhary. However, some of the perpetrators remain at large. Despite the initial police report, it was revealed that the authorities did not act promptly on Hasina’s first complaint.
In a twist, Lalbahadur Chaudhary, the person accused of orchestrating the attack, claimed to have informed the police about the incident. He denied involvement, stating that he had been trying to mediate but was unable to prevent the violence.
The case has drawn attention from local authorities, with Bhajani’s mayor, Kebal Chaudhary, expressing his dismay at not being informed sooner. Kailali’s Chief District Officer, Dharmendra Kumar Mishra, condemned the act as a heinous crime, emphasizing the government’s zero-tolerance policy toward witchcraft accusations. He ordered a thorough investigation into the incident and promised to bring all those responsible to justice.
This brutal attack highlights the persistence of harmful practices and the need for stronger action against such crimes.
