Yagya Raj Pant’s hands were shivering as he clasped them together, his eyes red with grief, as he was rushed to the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu after a 20-hour journey from Dhangadhi.
Pant, who has been staging an indefinite sit-in demanding an investigation into the rape and murder of his 13-year old daughter, Nirmala, appeared flustered and showed erratic signs in public. Hours after he was brought to the emergency room at the hospital on Sunday, doctors said early reports showed no signs of mental illness.
From the day their daughter’s body was found on July 27, both of Nirmala’s parents have been involved in a series of protests, dozens of meetings with government authorities and political leaders, and an indefinite sit-in before the Kanchanpur District Administration Office. Local officials and family members close to the Pants told the Post that the father has not been able to tackle the stress as the perpetrators of the crime are still free after four months since the incident.
Komal Niranjan Bhatt