In Duhabi, on the public holiday granted by Koshi Province for the Tharu community’s Siruwa festival, Ramkumari Chaudhary’s house was demolished by a bulldozer. Vednarayan Gachhadar, the mayor of Duhabi Municipality, reportedly sent the bulldozer to destroy Ramkumari’s house in order to create a road through his private land. During the demolition, municipal police restrained Ramkumari by tying her to a tree, while her daughter Binam said, “We were harassed to make way for the road leading to the mayor’s land.” 7 Baisakh, Duhabi (Sunsari).
The Koshi Province government had declared April 15 a public holiday to celebrate Siruwa, a significant festival of the indigenous Tharu community of Terai-Madhesh. On this very day, the state subjected Ramkumari Chaudhary’s family in Duhabi–10 to inhumane treatment. This cruel act is linked to the personal interests of Vednarayan Gachhadar, mayor of Duhabi Municipality in Sunsari. When bulldozers arrived to demolish their home structure, Ramkumari tried to stop them. The team that came from the municipality, including municipal police and the bulldozer operators, forcibly subdued her.
A video circulating on social media shows Ramkumari being tied to a tree by the police. According to her daughter Binam Chaudhary, the police tied Ramkumari to the tree and attempted to take her father away in a van. They retreated only after being questioned about the grounds for taking him. Binam stated that around 8:30 a.m., the municipality’s bulldozer arrived in front of their house. A notice to remove the shelter, issued by the ward chairperson of Duhabi-10, was delivered to their home on April 13, only two days prior.
The bulldozer demolished the structure where Ramkumari and her family had lived for years. When they protested, the municipal police used force against them. In the publicly shared video, municipal police repeatedly tie Ramkumari to a tree. When she tried to break free, the police tightened the restraints, causing clear distress on her face. Binam said, “My mother was tied up like that to a tree, and they harassed me as well. We were harassed to create a road to the mayor’s land.”
