मैले साझा प्रवेश गरेका शुरुका दिनहरुमा यो संस्मरण लेखेको थिएँ। आज झण्डै साढे चार बर्षपाछि यसलाई पुन: प्रस्तुत् गर्दैछु। बिशेषत: नेपाली र अङ्ग्रेजी मिसाइ लेख्ने आफ्नो पुरानै शैलीलाई कायम राखेको छु। नेपाली शब्दहरुलाइ unicodeमा रुपान्तरण गर्नु बाहेक अरु कुनै परिवर्तन गरिएको छैन।

यहाँ आएदेखि सबैभन्दा पहिला १९९५ को गर्मीको छुट्टिमा म नेपाल गएको थिएँ, त्यो पनि ३ महिना लामो छुट्टीमा। साथीहरु कोही जागिरे, कोही पढ्दै, कोही बिदेशिएका। खास गरी weekdays को दिउँसो त आफू एक्लै पर्ने, बोर नै हुन्थ्यो। यसो मनमा लाग्यो, अरुले मलेखुको माछा खाएको भनी सुनाउँथे। तर आफूले त आफ्नै आखाले जनकपुरको नाइट बसबाट राति माछा झारेर त्यसैलाई त्रिशुलीको माछा भनेर दिउँसो बेच्ने गरेको। I was pretty sure that was not the case of Dolalghat. So I set my mind for the day: दोलालघाट गएर ताजा माछा र बियर खाएर फर्किने।
बिहानको त्यस्तै ९ बजेको थियो होला, my parents had just left for work. घरमा थाहा पाउन पनि भएन। एक जना साथी आउला कि भनेर फोन गरेको, मोरो घरमा थिएन। ल जा त एक्लै भए नि जान्छु भनेर घरबाट निस्कें। अनि एउटा मिटर टेम्पो चढेर बस पार्क गएँ। त्यो मोराले मिटर पनि कति tamper गर्न सकेको होला। एक छिन smoothly अगाडि बढे पनि खित्रिक्क पैसा चढ्ने, जोल्टीन खाए पनि खित्रिक्क चाढ्ने, ब्रेक हाने पनि चढ्ने, दाँया बाँया जता मोडाए नि चढ्ने। के किचकिच गर्नु भनेर मनमनै "ल घिच् मोरा" भन्दै पैसा तिरेर ओर्लिएँ। For the same distance, I must have overpaid at least Rs 20.

त्यसपछि समाउनु पर्यो बार्हबिसे जाने बस। थोत्रो बस थियो, सिट पनि 3*3 configurationमा। पहिला त त्यस्तैमा कति यात्रा गरेको हो, अहिले त बस्नै अप्ठेरो। अचेल म सोच्छु के, in the western world, प्लेनमा economy class syndrome (DVT)को कत्रो issue भैरहेको छ। जिरी, which is about 10 hours or so away from काठमाडौं, जाने बसको पनि त्यस्तै सिट छ। I could only hope that buses with "2*2 folding seats" would be introduced on that route soon.

खलासीले शिकागो बुल्सको Tshirt लगएको थियो। ढोकाबाट कराउँदैथियो "बारबिसे दोलालघाट।" Surprisingly, the bus left with quite a few unoccupied seats including the two beside mine. भद्रकाली छेउबाट बिस्तारै सिंहदरबार, माइतीघर हुँदै बानेश्वरको चोक नपुगुन्जेल बस ट्राफिकमा परेर अलिकति स्लो भो वा रोकियो कि कराइहल्थ्यो मोरो "ल बार्हबिसे दोलालघाट।" यात्रु चाँही खासै पाएन। त्यसपछि चाँही अलि कराउन कम गर्‍यो। I was wondering all the time, why isn't he saying "Dolalghat Barabise" instead, since Dolalghat is on the way to Barabise and Barabise is the final destination of the bus. जुन ठाउँ पहिला आउँछ त्यसैको नाम पहिला भन्नु पर्ने होइन र जस्तो लाग्यो।

एउटा बुढो बुढो मान्छे चुरोट खाँदै चढ्यो सल्लाघारीमा। सिट खाली हो भनेर सोध्यो, I said "खाली हो तर बस्ने भए पहिला चुरोट फाल्नुहोस्।" Thankfully he complied. बसको भुइंमै चुरोट निभाएर put it in his soiled white shirt को खल्ती, अनि मेरो छेउको सिटमा बस्यो। सूर्यविनायकतिर पुग्दा conductor म कहाँ भाडा उठाउन आयो। Just for the fun of it, I thought about showing my US college id for a student discount. यसो ओल्टाइ पोल्टाइ गरी दुई चार चोटि हेरेर छुट त दियो बिचराले। जगातेबाट नलीनचोक हुँदै उकालो लागियो साँगातिर। उपत्यकाको रमाइलो द्रिष्य देखियो, अनि बाटोको तलतिर धानको ब्याड र झिङ्गटीको छाना भएका घरहरु। अनि भञ्ज्याङ्को तलतिर एउटा पुरानो मन्दिर, माथि पट्टिको बाक्लो नेवार बस्ती पनि देखियो। त्यसको एकै छिनमा बनेपा पुगियो।

क्रमश:

What is Maina Sunuwar incident Chipledhunga?

Kamakshi, here are the details of the Maina Sunuwar incident.

Source:

How Maina was killed
Kantipur, 30 August


From Issue #313 (01 September 06 - 07 September 06) | TABLE OF CONTENTS

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The army’s verdict [on the Maina Sunuwar case] is one of the many incidents of violence and killings disguised as ‘encounters’ by the security forces mobilised against the Maoists.

The board of the Court of Inquiry set up by the Military Court has concluded that the army killed young Maina Sunuwar of Kabhre by subjecting her to severe torture, despite the availability of ‘alternative measures of interrogation’. Maina was arrested on the morning of 17 February 2005 by a covert team despatched by the Birendra Peace Operations Training Centre, Panchkhal. She died while being tortured, but the army’s story was that she was killed while trying to escape, in the Hokse area.

The verdict states that the local army leadership tried to keep even the Military Court in the dark. The Board comprises Colonel Mohan Bahadur Basnet, Lieutenant Ratna Prakash Thapa, and Major Bharat Kumar Khadka.

According to evidence collected by the Board, the army went to the village acting on information provided by Maoist cadre Bimala BK who was arrested by police in the Palanchok area and told the army in course of interrogation that Debi Sunuwar and her daughter Maina Sunuwar were in contact with the Maoist party. Boby Khatri, the officiating chief of the training centre, sent a 12-member team commanded by Captain Niranjan Basnet to Palanchok. Maina’s mother (pictured) was not at home, and Captain Basnet and Captain Adhikari found no evidence linking the Sunuwar mother and daughter to the Maoists, the report says. After Maina was arrested, Basnet had told her father: “We will take her in for interrogation. When your wife returns, send her to the Panchkhal barracks. We’ll interrogate her and send her back.” Nothing ‘untoward’ happened on the trip to the training centre.

Maina’s interrogation began in the presence of seven persons, including Khatri, Basnet, and Adhikari, Captain Amit Pun, Sergentt Maj Khadka Bahadur Khatri, Dil Bahadur Basnet (a runner in the officers’ mess) and Shrikrishna Thapa. Captains Sunil [Adhikari] and Amit [Pun], acting on Khatri’s orders, asked Dil Bahadur and Shrikrishna Thapa to bring in a large container of water. Then the task of torturing Maina began, and the armymen in attendance shoved her repeatedly into the water. “It has been learnt that she was drenched, and that she choked time and again due to [being held under] the water,” the verdict states.

After they failed to make her speak [by repeatedly holding her under water], Captains Sunil and Amit, under the orders of Boby Khatri, decided that Maina would receive electric shocks. They ordered Shrikrishna Thapa to do the job and he pulled a live wire out from a geyser line. When he asked which part of Maina’s body “[he] should electrocute”, he was told “the soles of her feet and her hands”. Maina was thus administered electric shocks on her feet and hands, which were still wet.

According to the verdict, Maina’s wrists started to bleed. Shrikrishna Thapa slowly stepped back in fear and stopped electrocuting her. By then Maina was very weak and admitted that she had been involved in Maoist activity for a couple of months. After Shrikrishna left, Captains Sunil and Amit ordered Sergent Maj Khadka Bahadur Khatri to ‘convince’ her by administering more shocks, and Maina was again electrocuted. After severe torture lasting one-and-a-half hours, Maina had still said nothing remarkable. She was then taken to a ‘hawa ghar’ near a temple and it was agreed that the interrogation would continue after they had eaten.

Maina was blindfolded, her hands were tied behind her back, and there was a sentry guarding her. Shrikrishna Thapa and Khadka Bahadur were also there. At around 11AM, Boby Khatri was informed that Maina was vomiting and foaming at the mouth and in serious condition. “When a medical orderly came over to check on her, she was already dead,” the verdict further says. “After Maina Sunuwar died, Boby Khatri ordered a cover-up of the incident. A plan was worked out to bury the body secretly. [Boby] Khatri ordered Amit Pun to do so, and ordered Niranjan Basnet to bring police over from the Panchkhal Police Post to prepare a report,” the report states.

Pun called JCO Surendra, informed him of the incident and instructed him to dig a pit in a spot northeast of the officers’ mess, 50-60 meters outside the concertina wire. A little later, soldiers Dil Bahadur Basnet and Shrikrishna Thapa were asked to bring over a sack each. The two sacks were slipped over Maina’s head and feet, before her body was put into the vehicle. Amit [Pun] had driven the vehicle to where the body was.

“Captain Amit ordered soldier Dil Bahadur Basnet to fire a shot into back of the deceased with a Colt command weapon, telling him to also remove the sacks after placing her beside the pit. The soldier misfired, and then Amit himself fired two shots from the same weapon. Only one hit Maina’s body in the back,” the report states. After shooting her body, Amit photographed it and buried it, with the help of those present.

Meanwhile, Captain Basnet reported the incident to a sub-inspector, an assistant sub-inspector, and a police jawan at the Panchkhal Police Office. Colonel Boby Khatri asked the police to ‘make-up’ a story about the body. The story stated that Maina was arrested, tried to break the security cordon in Hokse and jump out of the vehicle. She was shot by the security forces while doing so, and died.

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