The family of a three-year-old girl who was raped and murdered in Bara earlier this week has rejected a five-point agreement reached by local authorities and political leaders, saying they were not included in negotiations.

The girl’s parents have refused to claim her body and have been demanding that Home Minister Sudan Gurung and Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Sobita Gautam visit Jitpur Simara Sub-Metropolitan City and assure them that those responsible will face the maximum punishment under the law.

The dispute has triggered protests and a road blockade along the Birgunj-Pathlaiya road in Simara. Relatives and the residents have staged sit-ins, saying they will not accept the agreement or hold further talks until the federal ministers visit the area.

“A helpless infant has been brutally murdered,” the victim’s father said. “We demand justice, and the home minister must come here in person to ensure it.”

The protests continued on Friday despite the agreement reached late Thursday by the district security committee, local political leaders, representatives of the Tharu Welfare Council, local lawmakers and officials of Jitpur Simara Sub-Metropolitan City. The victim’s parents were not present when the agreement was signed.

The case has also come under scrutiny over the initial police response to the girl’s disappearance. Her family alleges that delays in the response and investigation cost precious hours that could have been critical to saving her life.

The girl disappeared from her home at around 8:30 am on August 16. Her mother realised she was missing after searching for her for several hours and contacted police posts in Simara and Pathlaiya. She also informed her husband, who works as a daily-wage labourer.

According to the mother, the family told police that their daughter was missing and sought their help. She said officers initially treated the disappearance as a routine matter and told the family that they would look into it.

A formal search operation began the following morning, according to the family.

On the third day after the girl disappeared, neighbours noticed a foul smell coming from an abandoned tin-roofed house about 200 metres from the family’s home. Police entered the building and found the girl’s body.

Specialised teams from the Madhesh Province Police Office in Janakpur and the Federal Police Office in Birgunj joined the investigation, with sniffer dogs deployed to search the area.

A police dog led investigators to a 16-year-old local youth, who had also been helping with the search for the missing girl.

Police questioned the teenager and arrested him after he, according to police, confessed to luring the child with chocolate before assaulting and killing her.

Superintendent of Police Narendra Kunwar, chief of the Bara District Police Office, said the teenager told investigators that he had acted on impulse after being influenced by a similar crime he had seen in nearby Birgunj.

Police later arrested 24-year-old Progres Chaudhary, the owner and driver of a local public transport vehicle. The 16-year-old suspect worked as a co-driver for Chaudhary.

Both suspects remain in police custody after a court granted a four-day remand for further investigation.

The girl’s parents say they had already been concerned about the 16-year-old suspect, who frequently visited their home.

The victim’s mother said the family had concerns about his behaviour. Her husband had also repeatedly told her to keep an eye on the teenager, she said.

When their daughter disappeared, the family immediately told investigating officers about their suspicions, according to the mother.

The family alleges that police did not act quickly on the information. They say delays over procedural requirements, including the filing of a formal complaint and obtaining court authorisation to access call detail records, slowed the investigation.

Nepal Police Headquarters recalled Deputy Superintendent of Police Dilip Chhetri and Inspector Prakash Thapa from the Simara police office to headquarters following public criticism related to the handling of the case.

Police have not publicly established whether the alleged delays affected the outcome of the investigation or the child’s safety.

As protests continued, the District Security Committee, chaired by Bara’s chief district officer Dharmendra Kumar Mishra, held talks with local political leaders, representatives of the Tharu Welfare Council, local lawmakers and Jitpur Simara Sub-Metropolitan City mayor Rajan Paudel in Kalaiya on Thursday night.

The talks ended with a five-point agreement that included removing two police officers from operational duties, pursuing the suspects under rape and murder laws, providing relief and employment assistance to the victim’s family in coordination with the local government, and strengthening security across the municipality.

The victim’s parents, however, were not part of the talks and did not sign the agreement.

Assistant chief district officer Chhabi Raman Bhattarai said officials had tried to bring the parents into the discussions but were told by Mayor Paudel that the couple was too exhausted to attend. The girl’s uncle then signed the agreement on behalf of the family alongside the political representatives.

“We have agreed to almost every demand raised within the boundaries of the law,” Bhattarai said. “We reached a consensus in good faith, but the victim’s parents have rejected it. There is little more the local administration can offer beyond what the law permits.”

Mayor Paudel said he was surprised that the protests had continued after the agreement.

“The agreement was reached after collecting demands from the relatives and consulting party leaders, civil society heads, and the home secretary,” Paudel said. “I signed it in good faith, and I do not understand why the obstruction persists.”

The disagreement has left the local administration trying to end the protests and persuade the family to accept the agreement and claim the body for the final rites.

The Birgunj-Pathlaiya road is a major transport route linking Birgunj, Nepal’s main southern border point, with other parts of the country. The blockade has disrupted vehicle movement along the route.

Relatives and community members say the issue is not about compensation alone. They want accountability for the police response and the strongest possible prosecution of those accused of the crime.

The victim’s father, the sole breadwinner for his family of four, has been unable to return to work since his daughter disappeared.

Local officials and community leaders continued efforts on Friday to persuade the family to accept the agreement and mediate with the administration, but no breakthrough had been reached by the evening.

Police have arrested two suspects and begun a criminal investigation. The family and protesters, however, say they want the government to ensure that the investigation is handled properly and that those found responsible are prosecuted under the law.