Nepali Times

 
More than a month after  Sita  filed a complaint against officials at the Department of Immigration (DoI) and the police constable who raped her, the 20-year-old’s quest for justice remains in limbo. And while long queues of  protestors   continue to gather outside Baluwatar in her support, Sita and her family are gradually losing hope.  


Sita worked as a domestic helper in Saudi Arabia for three years before returning to Nepal in November. She was caught at Tribhuwan International Airport for possessing a fake passport. During the interrogation at the immigration office in Kalikasthan, police constable Parsuram Basnet agreed to help her out only if she gave him a part of the 9,500 Riyal (Rs 222,624) she had saved while working abroad. 


When she refused, Somnath Khanal of DoI took her money, saying it was for ‘high-ranking officials’. Once DoI let her go, Basnet took her to a lodge in old Bus Park promising to help her get back to her home in Bhojpur. He then proceeded to rape her throughout the night. After Khanal was caught, he confessed that section officers Ram Prasad Koirala and Tika Pokharel were also involved. All three were suspended, but Koirala and Pokharel who have close ties to the NC and CPN-M respectively have ‘disappeared’ since the incident.


Sita’s high-profile case helped put the spotlight on gender violence and pressured the government to form a monitoring committee to investigate cases of gender violence including those of Saraswoti Subedi of Anamnagar, Bindu Kumari of Bara district, and Chhori Maiya Maharjan of Kathmandu.


The committee which submitted its report to the prime minister on 16 January also implicated DoI’s Director General Suresh Adhikari and Director Lekh Raj Pokharel. However, both men still remain in their posts. Angry protesters burnt the report in front of Baluwatar last week saying the state was providing political protection to the criminals and trying to silence Sita through monetary compensation. 


Sita is unaware about the report, but is getting increasingly impatient with the state’s obstruction of justice. While Basnet and Khanal are now behind bars, she wants section officers Tika Pokharel and Ram Prasad Koirala to be jailed immediately. “I don’t understand why the government is delaying the process and refusing to punish the criminals,” asks a frustrated Sita.


 
She admitted to having an abortion during a  radio interview   with BBC Nepal last week, and says she is ready to face the consequences. “Most of my relatives and friends in Bhojpur will eventually come to know about my situation,” she admits, “I just hope they won’t treat me like a social outcast.” 


Instead of focusing on the past, she wants villagers to appreciate her courage and fight for justice. “What happened was not my fault. I hope I will be able to help other young girls from falling in the same trap,” she says. Sita is currently in therapy to recover from the emotional and physical trauma. 


However, Sita’s struggle is starting to take a financial toll on her family as they shuttle back and forth between Bhojpur and the capital. Her parents had to go back home last week to take care of her youngest brother who is living with their grandfather. Even her brother in Kathmandu who has been her strongest advocate so far, is getting disillusioned by the state’s apathy. “It took my sister a lot of courage to come forward, I don’t want her hopes to be shattered,” he says.


While Sita is determined to fight to the end, she too has her weak moments, “We have been going from one government office to another appealing for justice and have reached this far, but the state’s lack of interest is killing our spirits.” 


Bhrikuti Rai


See also:

Predator state,  BHRIKUTI RAI
A young Nepali woman returning from Saudi Arabia is robbed by immigration officials and raped by a policeman