On February 20, INSEC and other organizations submitted a memorandum to the District Administration Office and the District Police Office in Siraha, demanding the immediate formation of a high-level investigation committee into the case involving the abduction, captivity, rape, and killing of a 17-year-old girl by 19-year-old Rupesh Mandal, 18-year-old Chandan Shah, and 18-year-old Rambinay Mandal from Navarajpur Rural Municipality-1. The memorandum also highlighted a discriminatory incident at Bastipur Secondary School, where Dalit students were prohibited from participating in the Saraswati Puja ceremony, subjecting them to caste-based discrimination. The memorandum was jointly submitted by Informal Sector Service Center (INSEC), Mukti Nepal, Dalit Jan-Kalyan Youth Club, Sahayogi Haatharu Nepal, All People’s Development Center (APEC), Dalit Development Forum, and other organizations to Administrative Officer Anil Kumar Yadav of the District Administration Office and Inspector Dharmesh Yadav of the District Police Office. The memorandum demanded the immediate arrest and prosecution of the three young individuals involved in the gang rape and those who attempted to mediate the incident through Panchayat. It also called for ensuring the safety and security of the victim’s family, who have been continuously threatened and intimidated. Additionally, they urged the authorities to guarantee a fear-free environment for the victim’s family in the community, ensuring they can live there without fear.
Similarly, at Bastipur Secondary School in Lahan Municipality-14, it is a longstanding tradition for the first students in class nine to participate in the Saraswati Puja. However, during this year’s ceremony, Krishna Kumar Ram, a student from class nine who had secured the first position in his class, was excluded from the Puja due to his Dalit background. The memorandum addressed this issue, highlighting the caste-based discrimination faced by Krishna Kumar Ram, as students from different castes in the same class were permitted to participate in the Puja while he was excluded. In both incidents, serious human rights violations have been identified. The exclusion of a Dalit student from participating in the school’s Saraswati Puja due to his caste, and the failure to arrest the accused individuals in the case of the abduction, rape, and killing of a Dalit girl, highlight the weakened security situation in Siraha. Dev Kumari Mahar, the Chairperson of Mukti Nepal, stated that through a memorandum, INSEC and other organizations have urged all stakeholders to ensure that strict legal action is taken against the accused in these incidents.