Continued Haunting: Boksi Incidents Remain a Reality in 21st Century Nepal

The Boksi Pratha incidents in Nepal resonate through the ages, revealing a harrowing truth often veiled in shadows. Despite efforts to shed light on these atrocities, the true extent of their prevalence remains elusive, shrouded by underreporting and societal indifference.

The teaser of the thrilling film “Boksi Ko Ghar,” starring Keki Adhikari, has sparked a spotlight on the chilling reality of witch-hunting in Nepal. Inspired by the gripping narrative of the movie, we delved into real-life incidents mirroring the suspense and intrigue depicted on screen. What we uncovered is a haunting portrayal of violence and superstition, shining a light on the dark corners of society where innocence is often sacrificed in the name of fear and ignorance.

Here are some reported incidents of 21st century, though just a fraction of the true prevalence, shed light on the horrors endured by victims in the shadows of societal ignorance and apathy.

1. Jug Chaudhary-2009

Thirty-year-old Jug Chaudhary of Kailali District in far western terai was dragged from her home, beaten up in public, force-fed human excrement and paraded naked by members of her community including her relatives, in November 2009. She was accused of killing her mother-in-law’s brother using witchcraft. According to Nepali Times which reported the incident, police declined to register a complaint, suggesting it was a personal matter to be resolved within the community.

2. Kalli BK-2010

According to a report by the Telegraph published on 15 February 2010, Kalli Bishwokarma, a 47-year old Dalit woman, was abducted by a group of 35 people from her own village and held for two days in a cowshed without food or water, and tortured. She was made to eat human feces and drink urine. She confessed to making a schoolteacher in her village sick using witchcraft, when the mob proceeded to peel her skin off after she had held off torture for two days.

3. Dhegani Mahato-2012

A forty-year-old widow, Dhegani Mahato of Chitwan, was killed by burning alive after a shaman accused her of witchcraft. The execution was carried out by a mob including her relatives, after the shamans brought in to investigate the illness of one of her relatives accused her of keeping him sick. She was attacked with sticks and rocks in the early morning while she was performing her household chores. The mob proceeded to douse her in gasoline and set her on fire in front of her nine-year-old daughter.Ten people, which included a group of five women, an eight-year-old boy, and two shamans, were charged with murder. Eight of the accused were sentenced to life in prison.

4. Sunita Pudasaini-2012

Sunita Pudasaini of Jorpati, Kathmandu, was attacked by her relatives including her siblings and blinded with a sickle on 22 March 2012. She was attacked when she was visiting her aunt. She was taken to Tilganga eye hospital for treatment. Six people were arrested in connection to the attack. The government also announced a cash support of Rs 200,000 to the victim, in addition to all medical expenses.

5. Domani Chaudhary- 2013

Forty-five-year-old Domani Chaudhary of Dhodana VDC-2, Siraha, was severely beaten by her neighbours over the death of a newborn in her village. Ramakanta Chaudhary, the father of the infant, allegedly roused her neighbours into beating her. She suffered severe injuries to the chest and head, and had to be admitted to the hospital. Her son and daughter were also injured when they tried to shield their mother. The perpetrators had fled the village before police action could be taken. All of the five accused were arrested on 9 February, but were released on bail 15 days later. A year later, Siraha district court sentenced all five to three months in prison and fines of Rs 5,000 each.

6. Rajkumari Rana-2013

Sixty-year-old Rajkumari Rana was assaulted and tortured in April 2013 in Kailali, in an act of vigilante justice sanctioned by the village council. She was stripped bare and had her head shaved. She was also badly beaten and made to feed on human excrement.

7. Parvati Chaudhary-2013

On 15 August 2013, forty-five-year-old Parvati Devi Chaudhary of Supadi VDC was accused by a group of influential people in her village, and she and her husband were ordered to leave the village. They had agreed and were preparing to leave the next day. However, they were attacked the same night, and she was beaten to death. She was accused of witchcraft for the illness of a local girl. A group of people that included women, and one of the alleged masterminds Kari Kha had been arrested, while many others were still at large, as of 26 August. It was alleged that the police had refused to register the case the next day because it was a Saturday (public holiday) which had given opportunity to the accused to flee.

8. Laxmi Pariyar-2016

Thirty-two-year-old dalit woman Laxmi Pariyar of Kavre was found dead in her home on 13 December 2016, following a public torture and repeated assaults on 9 December 2016, by a group of people led by schoolteacher Hira Lama, in and near the premises of Suryodaya Secondary School in Sano Bangthali. On 9 December 2016, she was intercepted on her way back from a fair, by Hira Lama and his mother Kaili Tamang, and tied to a basketball pole with a rope. According to Pariyar’s second son who was nine years old at the time and witnessed the whole event, Nirmaya Tamang, the shopkeeper who sold Lama the rope was also involved in the assault. In front of the villagers Lama had gathered to witness, he repeatedly beat Pariyar with a stick. He also kicked her on her chest. She was eventually force-fed human feces and untied. After she’d been helped away from the premises by her son, Lama again caught up with them and assaulted her a second time.

It was later reported that she and her family had been continuously harassed by Lama leading up to the attack. Lama had beaten her brother-in-law in 2013. He had also made the family pay a fine of Rs 6,000, along with an apology and a hundred sit-ups, by lodging a complaint to the police that she had hurt shopkeeper Tamang’s buffalo, a case that had been settled just a day before she was found dead. Following her death, police reportedly arrested her husband who had reported the death as the main suspect. He reportedly confessed to beating her the previous night but denied his culpability in her death.

9. Kasuma Devi Yadav-2017

Sixty-five-year-old Kusama Devi Yadav of Siraha was attacked inside her home and beaten by Shiva Nath Yadav and two others from her village. Her husband also sustained injuries trying to shield her. She was taken to a medical center for treatment after being rescued with the help of other villagers. Shiva Nath Yadav’s daughter had been ill, for which he blamed the victim of witchcraft. The police promised to take action if the victim lodged a complaint.

10. Rita Devi das- 2017

The Kathmandu Post reported repeated assaults on Ritadevi Das of Siraha district in southern Nepal, by her neighbours Indradevi and her daughter Neelam Das. Ritadevi filed a complaint against her assailants when she was assaulted for the third time, the last assault having occurred on the night of 30 December 2017. Her neighbours reportedly suspected witchcraft because Ritadevi’s husband had been bedridden for three years due to diabetes. The 36-year old victim had been supporting her sick husband and their three children with daily-wage labour.

11. Gita Devi Ram- 2018

Thirty-year-old Gita Devi Ram of Rautahat district in southern Nepal was beaten by members of her own family on the night of 22 May 2018 when a shaman accused her of keeping her sister-in-law’s son sick. The parents and brothers of the sick boy, who had failed to recover from his illness after a year, assaulted his aunt, beating her indiscriminately on the night of 22 May.

12. Sunsari-2018

In Sunsari district of eastern Nepal, a faith healer was assaulted by a group of three brothers on 3 June 2018. They were carrying out instructions from their father, who suspected her of witchcraft when she was seen performing rituals in a nearby temple in an attempt to cure another sick woman. They were reportedly trying to force her to leave their village.

13. Seti Maya Layo-2018

A 73-year-old single woman from a remote village in Dhading district, Seti Maya Layo Magar, was thrashed and force-fed human excrement by a group of men led by a Nepal Army officer, on 14 November 2018, after three local shamans accused her of being the village witch. She had to be admitted to a hospital in Kathmandu. The main perpetrator, Dhan Bahadur Magar, a Nepal army soldier on leave, had brought in three shamans to investigate his ailment, after he had started feeling chest pain. The shamans identified Seti Maya as the culprit and accused her of trying to eat his heart. While she needed hospitalisation after the incident, she was threatened by the perpetrators, as well as the local leaders of political parties, against making a police report. A police complaint was only launched by the victim three days later. All four accused were arrested.