Students on Tuesday observed candlelight vigils at Naya Bazaar and Tribhuvan University in Kirtipur in memory of Bhagrathi Bhatta, the teenager from Baitadi who was found murdered on Thursday.

Bhatta was a 12th grader at Sanatan Dharma Secondary School at Dogadakedar Rural Municipality in Baitadi. She had gone missing while returning home after school on Wednesday.

Her body was discovered the following day in a forest.

Police on Monday said that the post-mortem report suggested the 17-year-old had been raped and strangled.

More than five days have passed since the incident, and the authorities have not arrested any suspects.
The case is being investigated by the district police, the Sudurpaschim provincial police and the Central Bureau of Investigation.

The National Human Rights Commission’s Dhangadhi office has also launched an independent inquiry into the case.

Bhatta’s family has refused to receive her body until the perpetrator(s) are brought to justice.

In Kathmandu, students and citizens’ groups have also demanded fair investigation into the case and punishment to the perpetrator(s).

Here are some photos of the vigils by Post’s Prakash Chandra Timilsena.