On April 15, a village in Saptari was alive with festive activity as the Siruwa festival got underway. Families prepared celebratory meals, sweet dishes simmered on stoves, and neighbours exchanged greetings.

Ramwati Devi Ram had returned early from Lahan, where she had participated in the Ashtayam ritual the night before, eager to join the day’s celebrations. But her excitement turned to fear when she discovered that her 18-year-old daughter, Pooja Kumari Ram, was missing from her bed. As panic set in, she searched the neighbourhood, gripped by the memory of her daughter’s traumatic escape from an attempted rape three years earlier.

While searching, Ramwati Devi found Pooja’s body covered with dry leaves about a kilometre southeast of their home, in a place called Tingachiya. After discovering the body Ramwati Devi, who hails from ward 7 in Surunga Municipality, filed a complaint with the police the next day, alleging murder.

Pooja’s case is not an isolated incident. In the past three months alone, two murders and two rape cases involving Dalit victims have been reported in Saptari district. Families and rights activists say the pattern of violence reflectes systemic neglect and discrimination, and accuse the police of inaction and delay.

Police reached the site where Pooja’s body was discovered and began their investigation with the help of a trained sniffer dog brought in by the provincial police office. They later confirmed that she has been murdered.

Nearly three months on, police have yet to identify or arrest the perpetrator. Pooja had dropped out of school three years ago following an attempted rape. Although the Saptari District Court sentenced the accused to eight months in prison and fined him Rs7,000, he remains at large. Fearing another attack, she had discontinued her studies.

Before Pooja’s murder case could be settled, on June 26, the body of 32-year-old Raj Kumar Khang was found near a pond at Pipra in ward 4 of Rajgadh Rural Municipality, with his throat slit. Khang, a resident of ward 8 in Dakneshwari Municipality, was found naked, police said. Authorities confirmed he had been murdered and launched an investigation using a trained sniffer dog from the Madhesh province police. A woman has been arrested on suspicion of involvement, but police said the motive for the killing has not yet been established.

On the night of June 24, a 21-year-old woman from the Sada community in Bisanpur, ward 8 of Khadak Municipality, was subjected to an alleged rape attempt by a health worker while seeking treatment. The woman was taken to the Advance Hospital, Kalyanpur, at around 11 pm, after she complained of urinary retention and stomach pain. Lab assistant Shyam Kumar Mandal took her to the X-ray room and attempted to rape her, according to the victim’s statement. The woman filed a complaint at the local police station on June 25. Mandal was arrested, and the court extended his custody for further investigation.

Just three days later, on June 27, another 35-year-old woman of the Sada community from ward 11 of Surunga Municipality was allegedly raped by relatives. The accused, 50-year-old Chandeshwar Sada and 45-year-old Ramdev Sada, are the sons of her maternal uncle. They lured her out of the house at midnight, claiming her maternal grandmother was critically ill. The woman was taken to the Bihul River, where she was allegdly raped by both men. Upon discovering the grandmother was not ill, villagers and family members searched for the accused. The men fled but were caught near the river with help from locals and handed over to the police. Police assigned the case to the Kadarwana police post, according to ward chair Ram Kumar Chaudhary.

Dalit activist Bhola Paswan said violence against Dalits is increasing because the state machinery treats them differently. “Even after almost three months since Pooja’s murder, police have not found the culprit. Is this due to weak investigation or protection of criminals with money and power?” he questioned. Paswan said that when the police are weak in one case, another incident follows.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Jitendra Kumar Basnet, spokesperson for the District Police Office, Saptari, said that a Central Investigation Bureau team is also investigating both murders. “Investigations into both rape cases are also ongoing,” he added. “We will conclude the murder cases