Simara Protest Withdrawn After Agreement with Government, Birgunj–Pathlaiya Road Reopens
Dragon Media Correspondent
The Birgunj–Pathlaiya road section, which had remained blocked since Wednesday following protests over the murder of three-year-old Garima Chaudhary, returned to normal operation on Sunday morning after the government and the victim’s family reached a three-point agreement at the Ministry of Home Affairs late Saturday night.
Local residents and members of the victim’s family had been staging a protest by setting up tents directly on the road at Dashdhure in Ward No. 1 of Jitpur Simara Sub-Metropolitan City for four days. According to the Area Police Office, Simara, protesters cleared the road at around 1 a.m. after receiving confirmation that an agreement had been reached in Kathmandu.
Freight vehicles that had been stranded because of the protest began moving toward their destinations during the night. From Sunday morning, both long- and short-distance passenger buses and cargo vehicles resumed movement without obstruction, gradually restoring normal life in the Simara area.
Three-year-old Garima Chaudhary had gone missing from her home last Sunday morning. Her body was found two days later, on Tuesday evening, inside a vacant house near her residence. According to police, preliminary investigation indicates that the child was sexually assaulted before being killed. Police have arrested Suman Thapa and Progress Chaudhary in connection with the case.
Following the incident, local residents launched protests demanding the maximum legal punishment for those responsible, tougher laws against heinous crimes targeting children, and action over alleged weaknesses in the initial search and investigation. The demand for justice for Garima later spread to Kathmandu and other parts of the country.
At the initiative of Home Minister Sudan Gurung, Garima’s father Manoj Kumar Chaudhary and mother Manmati Chaudhary were brought to Kathmandu on Saturday afternoon for talks. A three-point agreement was reached late at night at the Ministry of Home Affairs in the presence of the home minister and ministers from other relevant ministries.
Under the agreement, the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs will form a seven-member “Garima Justice Resolution Committee” to review existing legal provisions on offences and punishment for heinous crimes against children. The committee will submit a report within seven days with recommendations for drafting and amending relevant laws.
The government also agreed to coordinate with the concerned local authorities to take steps toward constructing a statue in Garima’s memory, as requested by the family. The family will perform her final rites in accordance with their customs and traditions.
An earlier five-point agreement reached on Thursday night between the local administration and some representatives of the protesters had not been accepted by the victim’s family. The four-day road protest ended only after the latest agreement was reached directly with the family at the Home Ministry.
