Pokhara, 05 Aug: The Hayu family, who had arrived in Pokhara from Sindhuli, has finally returned to Sindhuli. After the chairman of Golanjor Rural Municipality–6, Rabin Kumar Shrestha, offered to accommodate them in his own house, the Hayu family left Pokhara for Sindhuli on Monday.
The ward chairman, Shrestha, personally went to Gagan Gauda in Pokhara Metropolitan City–30 to pick up the Hayu family. The metropolitan chief, Dhanraj Acharya, bid them farewell. Urmila Hayu’s family, consisting of 6 sons, 6 daughters, one daughter-in-law, 2 sons-in-law, 3 grandchildren, and 2 siblings of the daughter-in-law—a total of 21 people—headed towards Sindhuli. Among them, the son, son-in-law, and one granddaughter who had been living in Gagan Gauda will return to Pokhara. The metropolitan city had arranged transportation for them up to Muglin, from where the ward chairman arranged a vehicle to take them to Sindhuli.
Chairman Shrestha said that the Hayu family will be accommodated in their old house located in Sungure of his own ward. “For now, until other arrangements are made, I will keep them at my house. They can stay as long as they want,” he said. “We will coordinate with various organizations to arrange a new house and land.” He also mentioned that the house in Sungure is about 15 minutes away from the school.
The Hayu family, who lived in Chetpa Bikharkateri of Golanjor–6, had been reported missing from their home for three days since Saun 12 (around late July). On the same night, they were found renting six rooms in two local houses in Pokhara–30 Gagan Gauda. The family said they came to Pokhara because their current home and land were not theirs, the school and hospital were far, family members kept falling ill, and they felt afraid to stay in their house. However, they do have their own land more than three hours away from Chetpa.
Urmila Hayu’s husband, Sanu Hayu, passed away three years ago. On 17 Ashar 2079 (around late June 2022), he went missing while returning home after collecting the allowance given to endangered minority ethnic groups. His body was found in a decomposed state in a gorge about one and a half hours from their home on 17 Kartik (early November). After finding their father’s body, the Hayu family filed a complaint suspecting murder, but the administration closed the case after two years, stating there was no evidence of murder, Raju Hayu, Urmila’s eldest son, told Kantipur. The Hayu family suspected Sanu Hayu had been murdered, but the police ruled it an accident and concluded the case.
After Sanu Hayu’s death, the family claims they experienced harassment such as stones being thrown at their house during the day and threats at night. They revealed that their mute daughter, Asmita Hayu, was believed to be possessed by a spirit, and during spirit communication, she was told not to stay at that place and to move westward, which led the family to come to Pokhara. Recently, when she became ill, the Hayu family also started visiting the Sachchai Center in their village. The Sachchai Center, located at Deep, Pokhara–16, is an institution that believes in healing all diseases through prayer to ‘Father God.’
Ward Chairman Shrestha stated that the Hayu family was willing to return after agreeing on conditions such as not living in their old house, staying at his own house until other arrangements are made, arranging jobs for family members, and enrolling children in new schools. He had also visited Pokhara on Saun 15 (late July) to urge the Hayu family to return to Sindhuli, but they had expressed that they would not go back to their old place. Currently, the house arranged by the ward chairman where they are staying is located about three hours downhill from their old home.
The family tied their buffaloes in the shed, and kept their chickens and goats in enclosures before secretly reserving a vehicle for 19 people from Sindhuli to Pokhara. After spending one night at a hotel in Lakeside, Pokhara, they moved to Gagan Gauda. Their son-in-law, Dhan Bahadur Tamang, who lives in Kotre, Shuklagandaki, Tanahun, helped find rooms in Gagan Gauda, where the Hayu family then settled. On the night of Saun 12, DSP Shrawan Kumar BK of the District Police Office Dandakonak placed the Hayu family under the supervision of Ward Chairman Durga Prasad Subedi of Pokhara–30 and assigned their son-in-law Dhan Bahadur Tamang to be responsible for them.
