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Woman journalist killed in Nepal

KATHMANDU: A Madhesh-based woman journalist, Uma Singh of Janakpur, was murdered by an unidentified group on Sunday.

Reports say the group barged into her apartment and stabbed her. She died while being brought here for treatment. Ms. Singh used to report on the dowry system prevalent in the Terai region and other women’s rights issues for a local daily, Janakpur Today, and for Radio Today.

The Federation of Nepalese Journalists held protest programmes at various places including Janakpur and Kathmandu. The National Human Rights Commission and various political parties also condemned the murder.

Meanwhile, another woman journalist from Madhesh, Manika Jha, is reported to have got threatening calls. She said a group smashed windows of her apartment and wrote on her wall “you’re next.” A close friend of Ms. Singh, Ms. Jha said Ms. Singh was killed because she was a journalist. Women of the Terai or the Madhesh region are forced to lead a conservative life. Dowry is one of the major problems there, resulting in domestic violence. Many women have been killed by their in-laws for not bringing “satisfactory amounts” of dowry.

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