Bhairab Pant and his youngest son Yekdesh Pant of Matatirtha village ward no. 5 in Kathmandu district on December 18 assaulted Krishna Nepali of the same village.
Victim Krishna Nepali has been admitted to the Kathmandu Medical College (KMC) Teaching Hospital at Sinamangal. Initial medical reports indicate the hypo-abdomenal trauma with possible blood accumulation and pressure.
According to the information this reporter obtained late from the victim’s family, Bhairab Pant had vowed to take a tough action against Krishna about four years ago as Krishna asserted his basic freedom to sell a piece of his own land to a person of his choice rather than to the person that Bhairab chose. Family sources claim that Bhairab had time and again expressed his wrath against Krishna since he dared to dispute that he had the freedom to decide his personal matters himself.
Victim’s wife Dhana says, “My husband does not have any bad records so far. He sold a piece of land to a different person ignoring the choice of Bhairab. That is the main cause of his enmity with my husband.”
In Nepal, Dalits, despite constitutionally defined as equal, face assaults and even deaths if they assert any fundamental freedom or human dignity.
The state has not developed any mechanism to punish those who kill or attempt to kill Dalits for asserting rights or freedom as equal beings. The laws on atrocities against Dalits remain completely non-implemented.
Dalits fear serious consequences when they dare to file any case for justice because they complain that the state has rarely supported and encouraged them.
Bhairab Pant and his son are reported fled to escape legal actions. Victim Krishna’s family says they don’t have an idea of seeking justice and that they are extremely demoralized.
They are worried about the medical expenses and future security.
In Kathmandu, hospital treatment is too expensive for the working class people to afford.