The preliminary post-mortem report of Inisa BK, a grade 11 science student whose body was discovered in a community forest in Birendranagar on Saturday, has confirmed that the 16-year-old girl’s death was the direct result of fatal internal and external haemorrhage caused by violent and forced sexual intercourse.

The findings, submitted by a team of specialist forensic doctors to the District Police Office in Surkhet on Thursday, have sent shockwaves across the country, igniting a wave of protests from Surkhet to the national capital Kathmandu as people and right organisations demand immediate justice and structural reforms to protect young women.

Inisa, originally from ward 6 of Badakholi in Gurbhakot Municipality but residing in Birendranagar Municipality-1 for her education, was found unconscious and bleeding in the Janajagaran Community Forest on March 7. Despite being rushed to the provincial hospital by local residents and police officers, she was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.

The medical findings, narrated by Dr Arbin Shakya, a forensic specialist at Bheri Hospital, show a harrowing picture of the brutality the young girl faced in her final moments.

“The post-mortem examination revealed severe abrasions on the victim’s back, suggesting she was subjected to physical struggle or dragged across the forest floor,” said Dr Shakya. “The primary cause of death was profuse and uncontrollable bleeding. We found that both the internal and external vaginal walls had been violently torn. The depth of the injuries indicates that the sexual act was forced with extreme aggression, leading to the catastrophic haemorrhaging that proved fatal.” According to him, toxicology tests are underway to determine if any sedatives or narcotics were used to incapacitate the victim.

Mother’s final phone call

For Tila BK, the victim’s mother, the tragedy is a nightmare from which she cannot wake. On that fateful Saturday, Inisa had left their rented room at 6:00 am, telling her mother she was heading to her tuition classes at Usha Balbatika School. The mother and daughter had planned to travel to their ancestral home in Gurbhakot later on Saturday.

“She insisted on going to class, saying she would be back in two hours,” Tila recounted through tears at the Provincial Hospital, where she has remained since the incident, refusing to claim her daughter’s body. “When she didn't return by 8:00 am, I started to worry. By 9:00 am, her phone was switched off. I called her teacher, but his phone was also unreachable. Ten minutes later, a stranger called me from an unknown number, telling me my daughter was lying unconscious in the forest near Sahid Park,” she lamented.

When Tila reached the scene, she was met with a ghastly sight. She collapsed on the stop. “The grass matted down around her as if there had been a struggle. Her hair was dishevelled, and her body was covered in blood.” The police had covered her lower body with a black jacket as she was nearly naked. “I couldn't bear to look; the world went dark, and I fainted right there.”

Father’s dreams shattered

The tragedy has also brought Inisa’s father Indra Bahadur BK back home from foreign employment under the most painful circumstances. A former soldier of the Nepali Army who has spent the last six years working in the Dubai military to fund his children’s education, Indra arrived in Surkhet on Thursday after a frantic journey from the United Arab Emirates. He has joined his wife and is resolved not to perform the final rites for their daughter until the perpetrators are held fully accountable.

“I went to Dubai to build a future for my children. Inisa was a brilliant student; she dreamed of becoming a doctor or a high-ranking officer in the Nepali Army, following in my footsteps,” said Indra, his voice trembling with a mixture of grief and rage. “My world has been incinerated. It appears she was lured into the dense forest with false promises.”

Indra said that it was only after the tragedy that they learned the school had repeatedly cautioned the youth who was allegedly involved as well as his family. “Why did they keep this information from us?” he questioned. “This was a planned murder, and we will not receive the body until we are guaranteed that justice will be served,” he asserted.

Investigations underway: police

The District Police Office in Surkhet has deployed a special team to investigate the case. According to Deputy Superintendent of Police Mohanjang Budhthapa, the spokesperson for the district office, four minors have been taken into custody. Among them is a 16-year-old boy who was apprehended at the scene on the day of the incident. Three others, all below 18 years, were detained on Sunday in connection with the incident.

“During interrogation, the primary suspect admitted to being with the victim and claimed they had been in a relationship for two years,” said Budhthapa. “He said that during intimacy, Inisa began to bleed excessively and lost consciousness, after which he called three other friends to the scene for help.”

“We have collected blood and swab samples for DNA profiling and viscera testing. Based on the post-mortem report and the physical evidence at the scene, we are treating this as a case of rape followed by homicide,” said DSP Budhthapa. According to him, blood and swab samples were sent to the National Forensic Science Laboratory for tests.

The police confirmed that call records show the suspect contacted his friends at 8:25 am, shortly before the mother received the call from the stranger. The place where Inisa was found, Janajagaran, is adjacent to the Bhairav Community Forest, a popular spot for morning walkers and tourists visiting Sahid Park. Despite the presence of a temporary police post with six personnel nearby, the crime happened undetected in the early hours of the morning.

CIB team reaches Surkhet for investigation

A specialist team from the Central Investigation Bureau of Nepal Police has reached Surkhet to conduct further investigations into Inisa’s death. The CIB team was deployed on a request from the District Police Office after the first round of investigations.

Superintendent of Police of the district police office, Surkhet, Sudhir Raj Shahi, confirmed that the team led by an inspector reached Birendranagar on Thursday. “The postmortem report has come out. Electronic materials like mobile phones of the victim and suspects have been sent to a forensic laboratory,” he said, “We will reach the final conclusion about Inisa’s death after we get the reports.”

Similarly, a specialist team from the Karnali Provincial Police Office, Nepalgunj reached the district to conduct polygraph tests to help with the investigation. “Polygraph testing is used to verify statements of suspects. Police are conducting investigations after collecting available details,” said Shahi.

Nationwide protests demanding justice

The brazen crime has sparked massive demonstrations across the Karnali Province and in Kathmandu. Locals continued their demonstration in Birendranagar on Thursday as well, demanding justice for the victim and strong action against the guilty.

In Dang, students from Jyoti Secondary School in Tulsipur took out a rally, chanting slogans such as “Enact stricter laws against rape,” “Protect our daughters,” and “Justice for Inisa.”

In the national capital, various organisations, including the Scientific Socialist Organisation and the Caste System Abolition Front, gathered at Maitighar. Protesters carried placards with searing messages: “Regimes change, but Dalits keep dying,” “Abolish the Patriarchy,” and “End the Silence on Sexual Violence.”

Residents of ward 4 of Birendranagar Municipality had earlier expressed their concerns over the precarious security situation in the community forests in the area. Just four months ago, a young couple was found dead in the nearby Bhairav forest, and locals have frequently reported clashes and cases of harassment in the area.

Local resident Kal Bahadur Gurung noted that while a police post was established to curb such incidents, the sprawling nature of the forest makes surveillance difficult.

Stakeholders demand accountability

The political and human rights leadership in the province has also come under pressure. Karnali Province Chief Minister Yamlal Kandel visited the grieving family to offer condolence and an assurance of transparency. “The state will ensure that the investigation is both independent and rigorous. We are committed to ensuring that the law takes its course without any political or external interference,” Kandel assured.

However, human rights activists remain sceptical. Narayan Subedi, the Karnali Province Coordinator for Informal Sector Service Centre (Insec), issued a stern call for action.

“This inhuman and reprehensible crime reflects a failure of our social and security systems. The administration must provide immediate justice to the family. Further, we need to move beyond reactive measures and implement robust monitoring and awareness programmes to prevent such gender-based violence from recurring,” said Subedi.

Insec and other rights organisations in Surkhet submitted memorandums at the District Administration Office and the District Police Office, demanding an impartial probe.

The school, Usha Balbatika, has also faced scrutiny. Parents and activists have questioned whether the institution did enough to monitor the safety of its students, especially given the suspects’ claims that the meeting with the victim took place under the pretext of a school “practical class”. The victim’s family alleges that the school had information about the suspect’s interactions with Inisa but failed to communicate this to the parents.