Maiya Bisunkhe was born without her right hand

Maiya Bisunkhe was born without her right hand and had to beg for her living. Today she is a promising sprinter. "I don't remember my mother's face. I had to face many struggles on my own when I was little because my father was sick and my brother small.Born without a right hand, Maiya used to beg on the streets of Jhapa for survival. Losing her mother at a young age pushed her further into the fringes of poverty, but despite her disability and difficult childhood, Maiya is one of the most accomplished athletes in Nepal today. She competed in the recently held Para Olympics in London, Asian Para Games in China, and Under-16 Asian Championship in Japan and has won several gold medals. The 19-year-old who currently lives at SOS Children's Village in Jorpati is thankful for the support of her friends and specially Father Robin Nepali.

Maiya Bisunkhe was born without her right hand and had to beg for her living. Today she is a promising sprinter.

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Karisma Karki is an Olympic swimmer

Karisma Karki is an Olympic swimmer. She has won 50 gold medals and numerous other awards since she started swimming professionally. The 20-year-old participated in the Beijing Olympics in 2008. "Even today when people see me competing they don't think it's good that I wear a swimsuit, because I show my body."

Karisma Karki is an Olympic swimmer. She has won 50 gold medals and numerous other awards since she started swimming professionally. The 20-year-old participated in the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

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Sony Rana is the first Nepali female pilot

Sony Rana is the first Nepali female pilot. She works for Nepal Airlines. "People used to get shocked to see a woman landing a plane in their fields. Fortunately there was no discrimination in my field. In aviation you have to be perfect and not make any distinctions. I would like to give education for every little kid and every women of Nepal.

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the first Dalit woman to bring a murder case to the U.N.

Devi Sunuwar is the first Dalit woman to bring a murder case to the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights. Her achievements were covered in the documentary The Sari Soldiers. "I was 21 when I gave birth to Maina. Maina was 15 and half years old when she was killed. I am very angry at the perpetrator of her death. I stand up and fight for the rights of women."

Maina Sunuwar was only 15 years old when on 17 February 2004 she was taken from her home by members of the Nepal Army. They took her to a nearby army camp used to train soldiers prior to going on UN Peace keeping missions. There soldiers repeatedly pushed her head under water and administered electric shocks to her wet hands and feet. After one and a half hours of this torture she was handcuffed, blind folded and left to die. When Maina's mother, Devi, initially went to search for her daughter, the army denied any involvement. Undeterred, Devi continued to campaign for truth and justice. Under sustained pressure, the army conducted an internal inquiry, resulting in a court martial decision in September 2005. However, it only found those responsible guilty of minor offences and sentenced them to six months imprisonment. Having spent time confined to army barracks they were set free. Pressure on the police resulted in Maina's body being located at the army camp and exhumed in March 2007. Yet despite the weight of evidence and wide public outcry those suspected of killing Maina have not been arrested and tried in a civilian court. Maina's murder and Devi's campaign for truth and justice is one of hundreds of other cases that have not been investigated, and those responsible punished. Not only does this increase the emotional pain they suffer but it undermines Nepal's justice system allowing those who committed horrendous crimes to walk free.

Devi Sunuwar is the first Dalit woman to bring a murder case to the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights. Her achievements were covered in the documentary The Sari Soldiers.

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help care for children whose parents were in prison

Indira Ranamagar set up Prisoners Assistance Nepal to help care for children whose parents were in prison. She has been the only woman working inside prisons in Nepal for the past 20 years. "Twenty years ago nobody entered a prison; I opened the door. Even if children committed little crimes I supported them because they deserved a second opportunity."

Indira Ranamagar set up Prisoners Assistance Nepal to help care for children whose parents were in prison. She has been the only woman working inside prisons in Nepal for the past 20 years.

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Jhamak Ghimire is a poet who writes with her left foot

Jhamak Ghimire is a poet who writes with her left foot, having been born with cerebral palsy. She had been awarded Nepal's most prestigious literary prize, the Madan Puraskar, for her autobiography Jiwan Kanda Ki Phul. "Power is something that comes from within. I am powerful. I started writing at 7 or 8 years old. At 16 I started writing poems, essays, stories, articles.

Jhamak Ghimire is a poet who writes with her left foot, having been born with cerebral palsy. She had been awarded Nepal's most prestigious literary prize, the Madan Puraskar, for her autobiography Jiwan Kanda Ki Phul.

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the lead singer of punk music group

Sareena Rai is the lead singer of punk music group Rai ko Ris. She also teaches music and Jeet Kune Do, a martial art used for self-defense. "People who don't fit in anywhere end up in punk. I sing about sexual abuse, anarchism, caste discrimination, gender identity ... etc. We need more feminists in spirit to make the world a better place to live."

Sareena Rai is the lead singer of punk music group Rai ko Ris. She also teaches music and Jeet Kune Do, a martial art used for self-defense

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the first official transgender member of the Nepali Congress

Bhumika Shrestha is the first official transgender member of the Nepali Congress, a major political party. "Even though society didn't accept me, my family did. We don't have a law in Nepal that allows us to marry other people. I could not do it anyway, because if I get married I would have to be under a man, and I like to be in control of my life.

Bhumika Shrestha is the first official transgender member of the Nepali Congress, a major political party.

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the first Nepali woman to be a mountain guide

Lucky Chhetri is the first Nepali woman to be a mountain guide, and is the founder of 3 Sisters Adventure Trekking, a group dedicated to providing female guides to female trekkers in Nepal. "Trekking was a male dominated profession. Now the situation has changed and people recognize our work. Even beauty pageant contestants now ask me to become trekking guides .

Lucky Chhetri is the first Nepali woman to be a mountain guide, and is the founder of 3 Sisters Adventure Trekking, a group dedicated to providing female guides to female trekkers in Nepal.

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Meena Chaudhary is Nepal's first female mahout

Meena Chaudhary is Nepal's first female mahout, or elephant rider. She comes from an illiterate and poor family and now she has become their main source of financial support. "I had no education and no job so I decided to become a mahout. At the beginning it was very hard because I had never been to the jungle before. There are other women who now also want to become Mahouts.

Meena Chaudhary is Nepal's first female mahout, or elephant rider. She comes from an illiterate and poor family and now she has become their main source of financial support.

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Pema Sherpa is the first midwife in the world

Pema Sherpa is the first midwife in the world to regularly use the SonoSite portable ultrasound and has traveled between villages on foot to examine women and deliver prenatal care. "I do a lot of counseling with families and still some men treat women as inferior. Now husbands are coming with their wives in the delivery room so that they can also experience how painful the process is.

Pema Sherpa is the first midwife in the world to regularly use the SonoSite portable ultrasound and has traveled between villages on foot to examine women and deliver prenatal care.

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I also want to get justice for other families -Gita Rasaili

The Nepalese army killed Gita Rasaili's brother and sister during the country's civil war. Now she is helping victims of violence. "My sister got raped and killed and also my brother as a revenge for feeding the Maoists — according to the perpetrators, the Nepali army. So I had to fight for them. I also want to get justice for other families that have been victims of the war.

The Nepalese army killed Gita Rasaili's brother and sister during the country's civil war. Now she is helping victims of violence.

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modern agricultural method gives good results-Rambha Tamraka

Rambha Tamrakar is a dalit leader farmer in Matena village in far west Nepal. At 31 years of age she is a successful trainer for good farming practices in her village and community.

A mother of five children, Rambha and her husband are members of an extended family of nine. Ever increasing costs of food and essential commodity are always a worry for the family, which has education for their children as their top priority. Rambha shares her determination for her children's future and reflects back on her own life - one that weaned her away from studies and made her mother at 14 years of age.

“My husband and I want a better life for our children but education is expensive. The school fee for each child is 400 NPR (7 dollars) and then there are overhead costs of books, uniform. With only four katta of land (1352 m2), we are not able to grow many vegetables and earn enough money.”

Using modern systems of Rice Intensification

Rambha was selected as a beneficiary by Dalit Welfare Organisation (DWO), DCA’s partner in the area and given training on dalit empowerment and rights. She also received training on agriculture, farming and livelihood generation. Under the guidance of DWO, 15 members of the Dalit community formed the Kalika Dalit Farmers Group. She was selected as the leader farmer because of her all round knowledge on the subject, her independence and commitment to be a good leader.

Rambha believes that the modern agricultural method gives good results. “As a leader farmer I encourage others to use new technology such as the modern system of rice intensification. I lead by example; I have been able to increase my paddy production by 50% with the use of this technology. Instead of 200 kilos my production has increased to 300 kilos per katta. When people see my achievement, they want to learn and adopt new methods,” she adds.

Assistance to increase production and supplement income

Support to the group was also provided by distributing quality seeds for vegetables, maize, wheat and rice. The farmers group also received fertilizers and an irrigation pipe. The irrigation pipe fetches water to the fields even in the dry months and the community can now produce vegetables for six months instead of only 3 months as was the case in the past.

According to the Dalit farmers, good quality seeds and water provisions have increased vegetable production tremendously. The Dalits farmers of this group have also received part assistance in buying buffaloes. Rambha is one of the five people who received this assistance to supplement her income. Four other people also received goats.

Economic self reliance and acceptance

In Matena village; Rambha’s home all 15 Dalit households are part of the Dalit Farmers Group. Earlier bonded labourers (haliyas) in the fields of upper caste landlords, none of the villager’s work of the farmers group work on the fields of upper caste people.

According to Rambha, many people used to previously migrate for work, especially during off seasons but that has declined now. Awareness has accompanied increased acceptance as exchange between dalits and non dalits has increased. Rambha explains, “Earlier non-dalits would never buy milk from the Dalits, but now we supply milk to many non dalit families.

A lot has changed with the campaigns led by dalit organisation and even the government.” She adds, “Much has changed amongst the dalits, especially Dalit women. We can speak up now and are not scared of looking into people’s eyes and speaking our mind. Earlier we used to go to bed hungry but now we have food to eat. I feel as if I have the power to take on anyone. We are self reliant and believe we can give our children a good future.”

source:danchurchaid.org

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scholarships empower Dalit girls In Nepal

Participants in the Empowering Dalit Daughters programme pose
for a portrait. From left, Rebica Nepali, Hira Nepali, Sangita
B.K., Pramila Bishunkhe, Anju Kadel and Barshaa Prakash,
The programme provided scholarships, food and accommodation
to 25 Dalit girls from across Nepal. [Photos courtesy of
Professional Development and Research Centre (PDRC)]

In Nepalese society, where caste-based discrimination is all-too common, being a Dalit ("untouchable") means facing a life without access to opportunity – educational, economic or political.Being female merely adds to the challenge. According to the 2001 census, only 43% of the Dalit population is literate, and the rate is much lower among Dalit women.

"Dalit women face double discrimination – added to the discrimination based on caste, they also face gender-based discrimination," said Birendra Bishwokarma, executive director of the Professional Development and Research Centre (PDRC), a non-governmental organisation that works on Dalit issues.

"Even if they are talented, Dalit girls rarely get chances to get higher education and reach leadership positions," he told Khabar South Asia.

Back in 2006, PDRC took steps to change that, through "Empowering Dalit Daughters," a scholarship programme for Dalit girls.

With financial support from the Nepal Youth Foundation, it embarked on a nationwide talent hunt to select 25 talented and motivated Dalit girls. They received scholarships to prestigious colleges in Kathmandu, as well as food and accommodation at a hostel in the capital for six years.

Before being placed in top colleges, the students received training in leadership, counseling and communications skills.

"The objective of the programme was to create role models out of these girls, which we believe will help make people aware about the importance of educating their daughters," Bishwokarma said. "It was also an effort to bring the leadership developed at local level into national level."

Success stories

Hema Shreepaile, 23, an Empowering Dalit Daughters programme
scholar, won the Gold Medal for scoring highest marks in the
Bachelors in Hotel Management from Tribhuvan University.

Better education has translated into better opportunities for these young women. Hema Shreepaile, 23, and Mala Nepali, 24, are two of them. Shreepaile works at the prestigious Hotel Annapurna in Kathmandu, while Nepali is employed with an education consultancy in the city.

Shreepaile, who hails from Kailali district in western Nepal, scored Gold Medal from Tribhuvan University in 2012 for earning highest marks in the Bachelor's in Hotel Management programme.

"I feel very happy to have received the scholarship," Shreepaile told Khabar. "It helped me in many ways. It supported me financially to achieve my dreams. It also provided me a learning environment, helped me become more confident about myself and develop leadership qualities.

"Living with 24 students of different cultures from different parts of the country helped me learn a lot about their cultures, as well," she added.

Mala Nepali says the programme has not only helped her, but inspired others.

"More and more people in my community have begun sending their daughters to school nowadays," she said. "Sometimes, I have found mothers telling their daughters that they should study and become like me. It pleases me to know that I am inspiring some people."

Two of the 25 participants have finished their graduate studies; 13 have completed their undergraduate programmes; five more are waiting for their final results.

According to Bishwokarma, the assistance will continue. "Although as of now, we do not have funds to repeat the programme, PDRC intends to keep supporting more Dalit girls by providing them with training and connecting them with scholarship opportunities nationally and internationally," he told Khabar.

Bidhyanath Koirala, an educator, believes such efforts to educate girls is beneficial to the community as a whole. "Since girls are more connected to their family and their community, educating girls can have huge impact," he told Khabar.

source:-khabarsouthasia.com

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I believe in change in the society-Dr. Bishnu Maya Pariyar

Dr. Bishnu Maya Pariyar, founder of Empower Dalit Women of Nepal (EDWON), MA, USA, is a prolific social entrepreneur and one of the most admired personalities in Nepal’s Dalits, the so called low-caste or untouchable people who are traditionally marginalized in the society.

​

Through her dedication and passion for the communities with which she works, Ms. Pariyar has overcome tremendous obstacles of gender, caste discrimination and poverty in Nepal as well as challenges that emerge because of socio-economic inequality and exclusion.



A bright student from her early school years, Ms. Pariyar has become an award winning scholar and social entrepreneur. Today, she has won more than a dozen scholarships and awards and became a rising youth leader in broader Nepalese community.

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Social and Political Systems from Nepal and the USA and a Master’s degree in International Development and Social Change from Clark University, MA, USA. Dr. Pariyar now works in the United States as a family advocate and counselor on domestic violence, while dedicating the rest of her time to uplifting Nepal’s marginalized people.



Having realized that low caste women have no advocates and are not served well by established aid organizations, Ms. Pariyar founded Association of Dalit Women Advancement of Nepal (ADWAN) in Nepal and EDWON in USA with an exclusive objective of serving Dalit women and children of Nepal. She was only 20 at the time she founded ADWAN, which today has made significant impact in the fields of women’s rights and Dalit’s human rights.  The organizations have also pioneered social change through grassroots development.



Because of her work, Dr. Pariyar had been invited to lecture at Harvard University, Brandeis University, Boston University and other prestigious institutions. She has been invited as a panelist and speaker at national and international conferences including at UNIFEM, AMNESTY International, and The World Bank Family Network Forum.

In addition, Dr. Pariyar has received a number of accolades, including The Bridge Builder Award from Harvard University, Perdita Hudson Human Rights Award by United Nations Association of USA, Dr. Ambedkar Award by Association of International Dalit Organizations, Margaret McNamara Memorial Award by World Bank Family Network, Pauline Tompkins Award, Women’s Leadership Award and President Cup Award from Pine Manor College, and Social change Fellow from Clark University.

She was awarded Nepal Samman (Jewel of Nation) award 2011 by Sagarmatha Foundation, Kathmandu, Nepal and Solute to the Heroes Award 2010 by Association of Nepali in America (ANA) and several commendation letters from various Nepalese organizations.

Recently, Dr. Pariyar was conferred with honorary Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.) from Pine Manor College, MA, USA from where she had earned her Bachelors of Arts on Social & Politics Systems.

source: bishnumayapariyar.org

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charimaya tamang truly nepali hero

Charimaya Tamang  was sold to a Prostitution in India 15 year ago when she was just 16. She made we Nepalese proud as she received "2011 Hero Acting To End Modern Day Slavery Award" in USA by Secretary of State Hilary Rodham Clinton at the State Department in Washington yesterday. She was listed under top ten nominee. Till now many nepalese name were reffered for the award but this year out of three name referred from Nepal she was the only and first Nepali till now to be awarded with such a glorious award. HER STORY

After the death of her father, condition of her family was going worst. She was  16 when broker sold her to a prostitution in New Delhi, after spending 22 month of pain she was rescued by Indian Government. when she made to her Village back, she was hated. Then she filed a case against traffickers who was involved in selling Nepalese girls to India and they finally jailed and she got her first victory, she was first person to file a case personal against trafficker.With a company of 15 other she opened a NGO in 2000, she was awarded by Government of Nepal in 2007. With the aid of American agency "Priceless" she extended her Network. She was able to resque Sold Nepali girls from Delhi, Mumbai and gulf contries too.

6 months after Anuradha koirala was awarded by CNN hero of the year, it was Charimaya's turn. Lets stand against Girls Trafficking and gender discrimination.

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Pushpa Basnet: Nepal's 'Mamu'

Pushpa Basnet  is a social worker and the Founder/President of Early Childhood Development Center (ECDC)and Butterfly Home, non-profit organizations, in Kathmandu, Nepal. Her organization works to strengthen the rights of children living behind bars with their incarcerated parents.Her efforts have been recognized by national and international media since she was nominated for CNN Heroes Award, which she subsequently won in 2012.

When Pushpa Basnet, 29, visited a Nepali prison as a social work student she knew she had to act fast."I saw a small 8-month-old child. I could not forget her and decided to do something. These children suffer for the crimes of their parents," Basnet told the Press Trust of India.

Basnet was referring to Nepali children who live in prison with their incarcerated mothers. Without proper guardians, this is a common fate for children whose parents go to jail, according to CNN.com

In 2005, Basnet started a home in Kathmandu to support children with incarcerated parents. On Sunday night, she was named 2012 CNN Hero of the Year for her work.

Basnet’s nomination came after a nine-week public vote held on CNN. As Hero of the Year she will receive $300,000 to continue her work and specialized training from the Annenberg Foundation, according toCNN.com.

Her home helps 140 children receive education and medical care, according to the news outlet. She also runs a daycare program for children under 6 years old who are too young to be separated from their parents.

Basnet’s organization, the Early Childhood Development Center, partners with local jail authorities to rescue children from prison, according to the organization’s website. But none of the children leave without their parents’ consent. Basnet travels to prisons throughout the country and meets with incarcerated mothers and their children. She explains to each mother what she can provide. If the mother agrees, Basnet takes the child back with her, she told CNN.

But Basnet makes sure the children visit their parents on school holidays and bring food, water and clothes when they do, according to CNN.com. Basnet has reunited 60 children with their mothers after being released, according to the news outlet.

At the Butterfly Home -- the residential home where the children live -- children receive regular medical check-ups, vaccinations and attend the local private school, according to the organization’s website.

But Basnet’s doesn’t run an institution, it’s a home. Older children take care of the younger ones and everyone pitches in with household chores, CNN reports. The children may be separated from their mothers but Basnet does her best to fill the void.They call her “Mamu” which means “Mommy” in Nepali.

"I don't ever get a day off, but if I [didn't] have the children around me, it would be hard," she told CNN.com. "When I'm with them, I'm happy."

Since her initial nomination as CNN Hero, Basnet’s organization has received a lot of attention, she told gulfnews.com pointing to the influx of cash and in-kind donations.“I was overwhelmed when a vegetable vendor offered me a kilogram of tomatoes for free for the sake of my children. It is happening too fast and I am trying to take it in slowly,” she told the news outlet.

Imprisoned mothers like Kum Maya Tamang are grateful for Basnet’s work.

"If Pushpa wasn't around, (they) could have never gotten an education ... (they) would have probably had to live on the streets," she told CNN.com. "I feel she treats (them) the way I would."

According to figures from the World Bank, only 24 percent of secondary school-aged children are enrolled.

Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world -- 55 percent live below the international poverty line and the nation ranks 157th out of 187 countries on the Human Development Index, according to the World Bank. An estimated 80 children live in the nation's prisons, according to Nepal's Department of Prison Management.

Basnet is determined to fight the odds of her poverty-stricken country to fulfill her children’s dreams. Upon receiving the Hero of the Year award at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, Basnet spoke directly to the children she helps:

"Mamu's going to take you out from the prison, and you're coming to my place," she said. 

source:- www.cnn.com

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I want a society free of human trafficking - Anuradha Koirala

Having started Maiti Nepal 20 years ago, in a small house in Kathmandu with her own savings, today Koirala is a widely recognized activist and lecturer who has dedicated her life to combating the trafficking and exploitation of women and children.

Through her organization, the former teacher and daughter of an Indian Army Officer has helped rescue and rehabilitate more than 12,000 Nepali girls and prevent 45,000 children and women from being trafficked at the Indian-Nepal border since 1993. Hundreds of offenders have been sentenced to jail through the joint efforts of Maiti Nepal and the police.

Loosely translated, Maiti means “mother’s home”. It is a safe haven for those girls and women who have been rescued from brothels or taken from traffickers during the daily patrols at crossing points along the India-Nepal border. Most of them are traumatized and will receive psychological and medical treatment. Some girls are able to return to their families while others become socially stigmatized due to their work as prostitutes, particularly if they are infected by HIV/AIDS. These girls will stay at Maiti Nepal, go to school and later work there. Maiti’s ultimate goal is to help the girls and women become economically independent and reintegrate them into society.

Despite the danger they encounter in their work, many of the rescued young women decide to join Anuradha Koirala in her fight against human trafficking. They go out to the villages and run awareness campaigns to educate women and girls about the tricks used by traffickers. These well-dressed, friendly men promise a great job in the city, but then sell them as prostitutes or unpaid maids.

In 2010, Anuradha Koirala was voted CNN Hero of the Year to honor her tremendous work and tireless efforts in her fight against human trafficking. To the victims at Maiti Nepal, she is a friend, a sister, a mother – and she fills these roles with all her heart.

“Just imagine what would happen if your daughter was standing there. What would you do, how would you fight? So you have to join hands, you have to take each child as your daughter. Soon you will feel their sorrow and then you will feel the strength that comes out of you to protect them.” – Interview with Anuradha Koirala, part of the video showing her work and Maiti Nepal at the of the CNN Hero 2010 award ceremony.

source:human-dignity-forum

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Manisha had planned to study medicine and become a doctor

Manisha Koirala was born in Kathmandu, Nepal, Koirala family to Prakash Koirala and Sushma Koirala. Her grandfather Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala was the Prime Minister of Nepal during the late 1950s-early 1960s, as well as two of her late great-uncles, Girija Prasad Koirala and Matrika Prasad Koirala. Her father Prakash Koirala has also been a prominent politician and a Cabinet Minister.Manisha Koirala is an Indian and Nepalese actress, as well as a UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador and social activist. Manisha grew up with her paternal grandmother in Varanasi, India. She studied in Vasant Kanya Mahavidhyalay. Then she re-located to New Delhi and was enrolled in Army Public School. After completing her school, Manisha had planned to study medicine and become a doctor.Instead of becoming a doctor, fate led her to modeling, and

then onto the tinsel screen in Nepal in a 1989 movie 'Pheri Betaula'. She then re-located to Bombay and debuted in a Bollywood movie titled 'First Love Letter' which was released in 1991.
Manisha has won five awards for her performance in 'Bombay', 'Khamoshi: The Musical'(two awards), 'Company', and 'Escape from Taliban'.She has obtained a Diploma in Film Making from New York, U.S.A., and is a member of the Independent Film-Makers Society. She is also the goodwill ambassador on U.N.F.P.A.. She is actively involved in bettering the status of women, women's rights, prevention of violence against women, as well as in the active prevention human trafficking, especially Nepali women, who are abducted and sold as prostitutes. She is well versed in the Bharatnatyam and Manipuri dance forms.

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Woman in Capital blinded for ‘witchcraft’

KATHMANDU, MAR 22 -

Siblings assaulted a 40-year-old woman, Sunita Pudasaini, at Jorpati on Thursday for allegedly practicing witchcraft, blinding her by stabbing her in the eyes with a sickle.

The siblings—brother Dilip Timilsina and sister Tara Dahal—along with Pudasaini’s brother-in-law Gyanendra Dahal also brutally beat up another sister of theirs, Khom Kumari Dahal, 39. Pudasaini originally hails from Gothatar in Kathmandu.

Dilip also reportedly bit his 78-year-old father Krishna Bahadur’s penis when the latter tried to interfere. It is learnt that the mayhem in the family occurred after the siblings’ maternal uncle, bhawani Shankar Gautam, 65, claimed a couple of days ago that Pudasaini’s’ “black magic spell” was the reason for Tara’s infertility. Gautam is said to be a “witch doctor.”

Tara, who could not bear any child even after a uterus surgery, had been consulting the “witch-doctor” for the past one-and-a-half years, locals said.

The Tara-Gyanendra couple arrived in the house on Wednesday night, while Pudasaini and Khom Kumari were invited over for a get-together on Thursday afternoon.

Pudasaini, who could barely speak from the Tilganga Eye Hospital bed with blood oozing out of her eyes, said they were bound and gagged on the kitchen floor and the three started tearing off their clothes. “After stripping us naked, the three of them climbed on top of us. They started to bite us everywhere,” she said. “Hurling abuses, they hit us with batons until we were swollen from top to bottom. Then my sister’s husband fetched a sickle and started attacking my eyes.”

Khom Kumari, meanwhile, was lucky to have her eyes spared. Nevertheless, she too, was beaten up black and blue. According to witnesses, both her ear lobes came off as the perpetrators snatched away her earrings.

“When I came to enquire about the havoc, my son Dilip jumped at me and started biting on my penis,” said father Krishna Bahadur. After they were done with the violence, the three were seen leaving the house at around 3 pm. However, no one in the locality could guess what was going on inside the house, said Arjun Bishwokarma, a local.

A case has been filed in the Jorpati Police Circle. Police have arrested Gyanendra, Tara and Dilip, the three main accused in the incident. According to DSP Shyam Gyawali, police also arrested the maternal uncle Gautam from Kavre.

Reported cases of alleged witchcraft in various development regions in 2011

Region    Male    Female    Total

Eastern    6    12    18

Central    2    23    25

Western    1    5    6

Mid-western    1    11    12

Total    10    51    61

Source--INSEC

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