23 year old woman kept inside isolated hut due to menstruating found dead
Chhaupadi: Nepali woman kept inside hut for menstruating found dead- A girl was found dead in an isolated hut in Nepal, where she was left alone due to a long-banned ancient Hindu practice that expels women from the home during menstruation, a media report said.
As per a custom is known as Chhaupadi, various communities in Nepal see menstruating women as impure, in some remote areas they are forced to sleep in a hut away from home during their periods.
Gauri Bayak (Budha), (23) the victim was found dead by her neighbours inside the Chhaupadi hut (menstruation hut) on Monday at Turmakhad Rural Municipality-3 in Achham district, as per reports by The Kathmandu Post.
"The cause of her death will be known after post-mortem," Deputy Superintendent of Police Dadhiram Neupane said.
As per the Villagers, Gauri might have died of smoke suffocation from the fire she had lit to keep herself warm inside the hut.
"Gauri had lit a fire inside the hut. She might have died in her sleep due to smoke inhalation," a villager Ujir Bayak said.
Last year in August, the government had declared the practice as a criminal offence. Keeping the same in view, the government has introduced a law that stipulated a three-month jail sentence and/or Rs 3,000 fine against those convicted of Chhaupadi crime.
In 2017, a 21-year-old woman and a 15-year-old girl had died due to the same practice.
-PTC News
