No parents should ever have to go through the pain of seeing their children die before them. The pain of living the rest of their life is, most of the time, unbearable. But to continue living knowing that your child was brutally raped and murdered, and the monster still at large, takes strength. This is exactly what the families of the rape and murder case of Paro and the mysterious death case of Dechenchholing are going through. They are still waiting for justice after two years while trying to live a life with their young girls no more with them.
35-year-old Yaganidhi Koirala is the father of the 9-year-old girl, who lost her life in the cold December of 2019 in Dechencholing, Thimphu. The death remains a mystery still today. Stricken with grief, the family moved to Tsirang after the incident. But the family could not leave the pain behind, it became a part of their lives. Hoping for justice, the father has been constantly checking in with the police. It has proved futile to date.
“They always say they are busy. They assure me they will call me tomorrow but I never hear from them,” he said.
As he shared about how he stays up to date with the progress of the investigation, he claims that the police haven’t been much of help even after he informed them about a suspect.
“When I was working as a city bus driver in Thimphu, I took out a loan and the suspect was my guarantor. My wage at the time was barely Nu 12,000, and I had to pay rent and manage the house with that. The suspect took me to the police when I couldn’t pay back the loan on time. He also threatened me that he would take action against my family. I even wrote to the police and gave them information about the suspect. When I inquired about the status, they told me they were still looking into it,” he added.
However, the police said they have asked for a statement from the suspect but could not find any evidence to implicate his involvement in the case. Police are yet to ascertain the cause of the death.
The little girl was found dead near a stream in Dechencholing after going missing for three days back in 2019. Officials first suspected an animal attack as the cause of the mishap after seeing some fang marks on the girl. However, later a forensic report also suggested strangulation as the cause of the death. Between these two suspicions, police have been trying to determine the cause of the death. With each passing day, the prospect of solving the case looks anything but promising.
Similarly, 28-year-old Leki Choden, the mother of the 8-year-old girl suspected of being raped and murdered in September 2019 in Paro, is still hoping for a breakthrough in the case.
Her life has never been the same since she lost her daughter. She’s been depressed for a long time. She couldn’t sleep at night because she was afraid the perpetrator would come after her as well. Sad, depressed and scared, she said she even attempted suicide several times.
She could not identify any of the suspects police showed her. She now fears that her daughter will never get justice.
“I feel that the culprit won’t be caught. However, I also feel that he won’t be able to escape because of our prayers. I really hope that he will be caught because he will destroy other girls as well. So, it’s very important to teach him a lesson. If he goes scotfree, others might also commit the same crime thinking the law can’t do anything. He will also think that nothing is being done to him even after committing a heinous crime and he will continue doing the same,” she said.
Recalling the fateful day, she blames herself for not being able to accompany her daughter to school. The little girl was killed while she was returning home from school.
“I couldn’t accompany her because the school was so far away. I feel so sad. And when the police call and ask me questions, I was at a loss for words. Police previously stated that despite knowing the perpetrator, I am afraid to say anything,” she added.
Police have to let go of a suspect after the DNA test came out negative. They are still investigating the case.
Like the parents, everyone wants justice for the two little girls. And the pressure is on the police who are handicapped without a forensic facility in the country to carry out the investigation efficiently. While this won’t be an issue after the establishment of the National Forensic Facility in a year or two, the long wait for justice will lose people’s trust in the law.
Pema Seldon Tshering/Tshering Zam/Pema Tshewang/Namgay Wangchuk
Edited by Sonam
