Netra Saud shows where his son Tek Bahadur was shot dead.

Bachu BK in Tikapur

Tek Bahadur Saud was not old enough to understand what was happening that afternoon. Unaware of violent protests near his house in Tikapur, he was happily playing in the courtyard.

All of a sudden, there were gunshots and Tek Bahadur fell to the ground. His father Netra Saud, an Armed Police Force (APF) soldier, rushed him inside. When he laid Tek Bahadur on the bed, he realised that his son was dead. A bullet had hit the back of his head.

18 months old Tek Bahadur Saud was shot dead.

When the news about the Karnali carnage spread on Monday, many thought the death of 18 months old Tek Bahadur was a case of collateral damage. But Tek Bahaudur’s parents claimed that protesters intentionally targeted him.

Netra, posted at the Tikapur-based Ugratara battalion of the APF, was on duty that day. When Tharuhat protesters started attacking security personnel with spears, axes and batons just 300 meters away from his house, Netra returned home to make his family feel safe. He had no idea protesters would turn up there as well.

Durga Saud, Netra’s sister, was also on the courtyard. She saw a protester pointing a revolver at Tek Bahadur. “I heard five gunshots, and one of them was intentionally targeted at the child,” she says.

Netra says the protester who shot his son dead must have been a trained fighter. “The way he shot my son dead from 30 feet away shows he was not an ordinary villager,” he says. “He must have excelled in using guns.”

Netra claims that the shooter used the revolver snatched away from the APF personnel. Neighbors say the shooter must have attacked Netra’s house knowing that he is serves the APF. His elder brother Purna Bahadur Saud is also a DSP.

The child’s mother Yashoda has been weeping ever since. A pall of gloom has descended in the whole neighborhood.