Kamala Aauji survived struggle, but not superstition

Kamala Aauji had returned home with hope. After years of hard labor in India with her husband, the 28-year-old mother from Krishnapur-1 in Kanchanpur had managed to build a cement house and enroll her three young sons in school. Life was finally taking shape — until a deadly superstition claimed her.

On Friday evening, Kamala began her menstrual cycle. Following the traditional chhaupadi practice, she didn’t sleep inside her own home. The small shed near her house, built for such times, was leaking from the rain. So she went to a neighbor’s shed just a few steps away — a space belonging to her brother-in-law.

That night, while lying alone, a venomous krait snake bit her on the left cheek. Still conscious, Kamala cried for help and alerted nearby neighbors. Video taken by locals showed the snake slithering near her bed. The incident happened around 12:30 AM, according to neighbor Suchitra Shah.

She was rushed to Seti Provincial Hospital by autorickshaw. But with no ICU beds or ventilators available, Kamala had to wait nearly an hour and a half for treatment. She was eventually admitted but could not be saved. She passed away at 8 PM on Saturday.

Her body remains in the hospital morgue, while her husband makes his way home for her final rites. Their three sons — aged 6, 8, and 12 — have been left without a mother.

Kamala’s death has reignited national outrage against the chhaupadi system, a practice that forces menstruating women and girls to live in isolation, often in unsafe and unhygienic conditions. Though outlawed by Nepal’s Criminal Code 2074, which prescribes jail time or fines for those enforcing it, the tradition persists — especially in far-western regions like Kanchanpur.

Mayor Hemraj Ojha of Krishnapur said efforts were underway to end the practice. “We’ve already started demolishing chhau sheds and included awareness campaigns in next year’s plans,” he said. But he also admitted that deep-rooted beliefs and weak enforcement continue to cost lives.

Kamala is not the first victim. In 2023, a 16-year-old girl from Baitadi died after a similar snakebite while staying in a chhau shed. Police records show that over 7,500 such sheds have been demolished across Sudurpaschim Province, including 230 in Kanchanpur. Yet the practice remains stubbornly present.

Women’s rights advocate Pashupati Kunwar said that despite legal bans, societal attitudes — even among educated communities — remain unchanged. “People still say it’s tradition, even when the law calls it a crime,” she said. “Kamala’s death is not an accident. It’s the result of years of silence and neglect.”

Kamala Aauji’s life was shaped by struggle, sacrifice, and love for her children. But in the end, it was superstition — not poverty — that took her away.