A 28-year-old woman in Kanchanpur died after being bitten by a snake while observing Chhaupadi, the outlawed practice of banishing girls and women to isolated huts during menstruation.

Police said Kamala Auji of Nigali village in Krishnapur Municipality-1 was asleep in a Chhau hut when the snake bit her. She was rushed to Seti Provincial Hospital in Dhangadhi, but died during treatment. According to Deputy Superintendent of Police Sagar Bohora, Auji had gone to sleep in a neighbor’s hut after the one she was staying in began leaking due to rainfall.

The exact circumstances of the incident are still under investigation, Bohora said.

Despite being legally banned, Chhaupadi remains prevalent in parts of western Nepal, driven by deeply rooted superstitions. Many people still believe that menstruating women are impure and must isolate themselves. 

Mohan Basnet, ward chair of Krishnapur-1, said that the local government demolished around 60 Chhau huts last year as part of a campaign to eradicate the practice, but it persists. The huts typically lack electricity, insulation, and basic bedding, making them unsafe.

Both Kanchanpur and other districts in Sudurpaschim have intensified efforts to eliminate Chhaupadi. 

According to official data, seven districts in the province have dismantled 7,545 huts so far. Achham led the effort with 5,813 huts demolished, followed by 230 in Kanchanpur alone.

Chhaupadi was criminalized in 2017 under Nepal’s Criminal Code, with penalties of up to three months in jail and a Rs 3,000 fine for forcing women into isolation during menstruation. But enforcement remains weak.

“This inhumane practice continues to kill innocent women,” said Dalit rights leader Rajuram Sarki. 

Shivi Luhar, chairperson of the National Freed Haliya Society, urged authorities to treat Chhaupadi huts like any other public-health hazard. “Tear them down and prosecute offenders,” he demanded. 

Sudurpaschim Province records dozens of snakebite cases each year. Health workers warn that Chhau huts, often built near fields or water sources, attract snakes and expose women to hypothermia, respiratory illnesses, and sexual violence.

The local municipality has pledged to accelerate demolitions, expand legal enforcement, and partner with schools, religious leaders, and women’s groups for door-to-door awareness campaigns.

As Auji’s family prepares for her funeral, advocates say her death is a grim reminder of Nepal’s failure to translate legal bans into lived reality—one that will persist until communities replace superstition with science and safety.