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‘Ram Bahadur used to sexually exploit girls, young women’
Ram Bahadur Chaudhary, who has been arrested on charge of torturing Radha Chaudhary, 18, over witchcraft allegation in Ghodaghodi Municipality-5 of Kailali district, was long involved in sexual exploitation of girls and young women in the name of healing them.Ram Bahadur Chaudhary, who has been arrested on charge of torturing Radha Chaudhary, 18, over witchcraft allegation in Ghodaghodi Municipality-5 of Kailali district, was long involved in sexual exploitation of girls and young women in the name of healing them.
Ram Bahadur, who had established himself as a so-called witchdoctor in his village, used to touch the genitals of girls and women on the pretext of treating them, said Renuka Bohara, a local woman. Videos of Ram Bahadur and his two female helpers performing these ghastly acts before villagers have emerged following his arrest.
“He used to order his female helpers to torture girls and women. The torture would continue until the victims confessed that they were possessed by spirits, which they did because they could not bear the pain and the embarrassment of being groped and stripped before public,” Bohara said. Once his victims admitted to being possessed by evil spirits, Ram Bahadur made them stay at his ashram for 15 days as part of healing ritual. Villagers said it was only girls and women who had to stay in ashram. The male clients were never put through one of his lengthy healing rituals, nor were they made to stay back in the ashram for 15 days.
Roshan Chaudhary, another villager, said he witnessed 13 women tortured and harassed in public by Ram Bahadur in the last two months.
“The majority of the villagers believe that Ram Bahadur possesses higher powers and he can tame ghosts and spirits. No one really dared to intervene when he tortured innocent girls and women because they feared him,” said Roshan.
Mayor accused of aiding perpetrators attacked
DHANGADHI: A group of around 20 unidentified assailants attacked and seriously injured Mamata Prasad Chaudhary, the mayor of Ghodaghodi Municipality in Kailali district on Monday.
According to Chief District Officer Govinda Rijal, Mayor Mamata Prasad was attacked at his residence in Ghodadhodi-1 at around 8pm. The assailants shot at the victim in the hip and attacked in the head with Khukuri. “We have been told that his is in very critical condition due to excessive bleeding,” said Rijal.
The injured was rushed to Ghodaghodi Hospital but the hospital immediately referred him to Nepalgunj Medical College for further treatment.
The incident site is about 60km away from Dhangadhi, the district headquarters of Kailali.
It is not immediately known who were involved in the attack, said police.
Mayor Prasad has been dragged into controversy after he allegedly abetted Ram Bahadur Chaudhary, a local shaman who severely thrashed an 18-year-old girl on witchcraft charge. Ram Bahadur and some other villagers tortured the girl from Deukali Village of Ghodaghodi-5, Kailali for six hours on Thursday, accusing her of practicing witchcraft. The mayor has been accused of denying legal remedy to the victim and protecting the perpetrators. (PR)