Here’s Everything You Need To Know About Salin Pokhrel Death Case

Recently, a photo of a minor girl dressed in a red tika and gunyo-cholo is going viral on social media with the caption #JusticeForSalin. The picture features deceased Shalin Pokharel, a 14-year-old girl from Class 8 of Ekata Children’s Home School, located in Ratnanagar Municipality-10, Chitwan.

The body of 14-year-old Salin Pokhrel, discovered hanging in a Chitwan hostel on last Saturday.

Pokhrel was found hanging from a rope attached to the ceiling fan in the hostel room. Following the incident, the deceased’s relatives filed a complaint accusing of rape.

Initially, the police was not ready to take the complaint claiming it was suicide case. However with growing pressure, the police had to accept the complaint. In response to the complaint, police apprehended 60-year-old Balhari Devkota, 40-year-old Kiran Bahadur Adhikari, and 48-year-old Kamal Sharma Paudel from Ward No. 10 on Tuesday.

Balhari serves as the school’s principal, Kiran Bahadur as the co-principal, and Kamal as the hostel’s warden. They are currently on remamd.

Six days after the incident, the family moved her post-mortem examination from Bharatpur Hospital in Chitwan to Teaching Hospital in Maharajgunj, Kathmandu. Teaching Hospital has completed her post-mortem report and is in the process of sending it to the Chitwan Police.

The family alleges that instead of summoning them to the school, the authorities informed the police, leading to suspicions about the circumstances surrounding the removal of the body from the room without their presence. Additionally, they accuse the school preparing to wash her clothes and shoes, implying that the death was not a suicide but a murder following rape. The family also retreated on a male being a hostel warden of a female hostel citing its against the prevelent law.

According to investigators, Salin left behind a suicide note. Scout rope was hung around her neck. An official involved in the investigation stated that the note contains the words, ‘Sorry Everybody, sorry Mom and Dad.’ The police are conducting forensic analysis of the suicide note though it matches her handwriting.

Shalin had been living in a hostel for the past two years. Her parents separated, with her mother residing in Dubai and her father in South Africa. They both have remmaried in abroad. Her uncle, Mahesh Pokhrel was looking after her.

According to Nepal Police spokesperson Bhim Prasad Dhakal, the police are deeply sensitive on the investigation of this case. The police have stated that they can only comment on whether it is a murder following a rape or suicide after receiving the post-mortem report.

Prior to her death, her hostel roommate reveled the incident that took on the dark day according to the police. She shared a room with two other friend and they had decided to eat spicy noodels before going to hostel mess. One of the friend’s noodels went missing from her bag and it couldnt be found anywhere. Later it was found inside the bag of Salin. They decided not to escalate this matter and went for lunch. Salin went back to her room without eating and locked the door which was never going to be reopened by her again.

Police is in await of post-mortem report to carry the investigation forward in effective manner.