A 27-year-old woman from Bitthad Chir Rural Municipality-1 of Bajhang has fled her home along with her two children after years of torture at the hands of her husband. 

Nirmala Bohara and her two sons, aged four and six, were found by a sheep herder in a forest at Jaya Prithvi Municipality recently.

The trio are currently taking shelter at the home of one Dhwoj Bahadur Dwal at Ranada Village in Masta Rural Municipality.  

Nirmala said she was compelled to leave her husband’s home for the safety of her children and of her own.

Her husband Gambhir Bohara, whom she had married when she was only 15, reportedly started beating her from the day he brought home another woman.

“I have just given birth to my youngest son when he married another woman. For seven years I remained in that house, getting beaten and abuses hurled at me,” said Nirmala, who claimed that one of her eyes was permanently damaged as a result of her husband’s beating. 

The mother of two finally decided to leave after her husband threw their youngest son into a river last month. Luckily, the four-year-old was rescued by a local shopkeeper.

Nirmala, along with her two sons, was trying to get to her parents’ home in Bajura district when they got lost in a forest in Masta Rural Municipality for four straight days. 

Hungry, cold and exhausted, the three had collapsed in the middle of the forest. They were discovered by Surendra Singh, a local sheep herder.

“I found them lying on the ground, still like logs. I was surprised when I found out that all three were alive,” said Singh, who took Nirmala and her two sons to his place and looked after them for three days before seeing them off to a nearby settlement. 

Since Nirmala was married at a young age and had never visited her parents after her marriage, she is not sure if her parents are still alive. All she knows is that their home is at Martadi Village in Bajura.

Prem Bahadur Bohara, chairman of Bitthad Chir Rural Municipality, said the village where Nirmala’s husband lived was at a remote location and he knew nothing about the incident.

“If the woman’s story is true then I am ready to take necessary steps to see that her husband is brought to justice,” he said.