A disturbing rise in spousal murders in Karnali Province has sparked serious concerns over women’s safety in the region. The most recent incident occurred last Sunday in Karekhola, Birendranagar Municipality-13, Surkhet, where 42-year-old retired Nepali Army officer Dansingh Thada allegedly killed his wife, Rabina Thapa, 41, while she was asleep. According to police, he attacked her with a wooden stick, striking multiple parts of her body. Thada has since been arrested and remains in custody as investigations continue.
This case is part of a grim pattern of violence against women in Karnali. On July 1, Chandra Bahadur Budhathoki, 32, from Chaurjahari Municipality-3 in Rukum Paschim, allegedly killed his 30-year-old wife, Devika Budhathoki, using a khukuri. In April, the region was rocked by another murder when Nepali Army personnel Darshan Khatri, 28, stoned his 26-year-old wife, Prema Oli, to death near the Jhingenara River in Surkhet. Similarly, on July 25, 33-year-old Prakash Sunar is accused of murdering 19-year-old Nirmala Thapa of Dailekh, who was working in a restaurant in Nepalgunj.
Data from the Karnali Provincial Police Office reveal that 24 women have been murdered by their husbands in the past three fiscal years across the province’s 10 districts. Human rights organizations have sounded the alarm, attributing these repeated femicides to entrenched patriarchal norms and institutional failure.
“This level of violence shows how unsafe women are inside their own homes,” said Manju Sunar, president of the Dalit Women’s Association in Surkhet. “Even with women-friendly laws in place, women are still being murdered and abused simply because they are women. Our society still struggles to see women as equal human beings.”
The recent killings have provoked widespread public outrage and mobilized protests across Karnali. On Tuesday, human rights defenders and civil society groups staged a demonstration in Birendranagar and submitted a memorandum to the Chief District Officer, the Chief of Police, and Birendranagar Municipality.
Pavitra Giri, director of the Voice Organization in Surkhet, said the protest was a response to the growing number of femicides. “We strongly condemn this brutality and urge the government to act immediately. Women deserve to live in safety and dignity, free from violence and fear,” she said.
Rights groups have presented a 14-point demand to federal, provincial, and local governments, calling for immediate action. Their key demands include impartial investigation and prosecution in all femicide cases, creation of a dedicated women’s security mechanism, mental health support systems, a provincial-level toll-free helpline, rescue and rehabilitation programs, and the establishment of helpdesks in every ward. They also urge the development of personal safety and social security initiatives for at-risk women, and greater coordination among government bodies, the National Women’s Commission, the National Human Rights Commission, and civil society to formulate a long-term strategy for women’s safety.
Activists stress that statements of condemnation are no longer enough. “We need the law to work, and we need institutions to step up. This is about life and death,” Giri emphasized. As public pressure mounts, all eyes are now on the Karnali provincial government and law enforcement agencies to deliver justice and prevent further tragedy.
