DIGNITY REPORTER
KATHMANDU: Chandre Kami, a Dalit youth who was missing from December 15 after an intercaste marriage, was found at Gupchegaunda of Kharpunath Rural Municipality on Wednesday, according to Police.
According to police officials, Kami was found safe and they were investigating the case.
This is yet another serious case of blatant human rights violations in which a youth was kidnapped by the relatives of a girl who decided to elope with a boy saying he belongs to a ‘lower caste’.
Kami, a resident of Jairko Natta of Sarkegad Rural Municipality-1 of Humla district, who had married a girl of a different caste, was reported missing on December 15.
According to his family members, he was taken away along with Ramila Malla, who is known as Suntali, a resident of Lipru village situated at Soru Rural Municipality-1 of Mugu district.
They have been claiming that he was taken away by a group of 13 people including Malla’s father Bir Bahadur Malla thrashing him in midnight on December 15.
They were claiming that the girl’s relatives had taken her while kidnapping Kami. Suntali, 17, had eloped with Kami,18, on November 21 therefore her people had kidnapped him.
Locals said a team of 30 members led by Deputy Superintendent of Police Heramba Sharma were deployed to search Kami but his whereabouts have not been found yet.
It takes 12 hours-walk from the district headquarters to reach Sarkegad Rural Municipality.
Knowing that their marriage won’t be accepted by the girl’s family, they were residing at a neighbouring village. They had reached Kami’s home only on December 14 and the other day he was kidnapped while the girl was taken home.
Locals have said that Kami had met Suntali three years ago when he was working at a hotel in Mugu and they both were in love thereafter.
The ward chairman of Sarkegad Rural Municipality-1 Gokul Budha had told the media that he had rejected the request of Kami to register his marriage because both of them were below 20. “I heard that the girl’s people had taken both of them on December 15 thrashing the boy,” Budha said.
