Sarlahi incident: Govt decides to provide 1 million, Jaishankar’s body lies at incident site for 3 days

KATHMANDU: The body of Jaishankar Sah, who was fatally shot by the police in Barahathawa, Sarlahi, has been left unattended at the scene for three days.

The 27-year-old resident of Barathawa Municipality-6 lost his life on Friday afternoon when police opened fire during a demonstration over the dispute regarding the upgrade of the Primary Health Center in Barahathawa.

As of this news writing (10 am), his body remains at the scene.

Protesters, expressing various demands, have prevented authorities from removing the deceased’s body.

A discussion held at the local police office on Saturday evening failed to reach a conclusion as the agitating parties insisted on immediate handover of the health center to the state government for the construction of a 50-bed hospital and the resignation of the mayor.

Ongoing discussions are scheduled for Sunday at the District Administration Office, Malangwa. Locals have been staging a protest, sitting on the street in the cold, vowing not to allow the body to be taken until their demands are met.

Despite the government forming a three-member inquiry committee and offering 1 million in relief to the deceased’s family, the agitation persists. To prevent further deterioration of the situation, a significant deployment of Nepal Police and Armed Police has been stationed in Barahathawa Bazaar, with additional support from across the district and even the state.

Police guards are in place around the market area, municipal office, and the residence of Mayor Kalpana Kumari Katuwal. The decision on Ashoj 9 (Sept 26) to transfer the primary health center to the provincial government was later reversed in an executive meeting on Poush 18 (Jan 3), causing tension among political parties.

While Congress, JSP, LSP, Janamat, and Bahujan Ekta Party advocate for the original decision, CPN-UML executive members, including Mayor Katuwal, are against the hospital’s handover.

The disagreement over the hospital’s transfer has not only led to the tragic death of a young man but also resulted in vandalism and arson, causing damage to both government and private property.

Since last Friday, Barahathawa market has remained closed, and traffic has been halted on the Barahathawa road.

The three-day shutdown is adversely affecting the daily lives of the local population.