File
Kathmandu, March 26
A ward member arrested in connection with the death of Rinku Kumari Sada, a teenage girl from Siraha, has been sent to jail pending trial.
The Siraha District Court, presided over by Judge Shri Prakash Upreti, ordered the detention of ward member Nathuni Sah for further investigation. Sah was allegedly involved in a community meeting (panchayati) that attempted to settle the case.
Meanwhile, six other defendants—Ramkripal Mandal, Bindeshwar Sah, Kariya Musahar (alias Kari), Ramdev Sada, and two minors—have been granted bail of Rs 150,000 each. Additionally, Ramvinod Mandal and Kamlesh Kumar Das have been released on general date (unconditional release). They were charged with caste-based discrimination, abetment of suicide, and facilitating a settlement in a rape case.
Two individuals accused of rape and eight others involved in the negotiation process in Panchayati remain at large.
Rinku, a 17-year-old resident of Bhagwatipur in Nawarajpur Rural Municipality-1, was found hanging in her home on February 12. The case has drawn allegations of gang rape and an attempted cover-up through a panchayat settlement.
