Nepal still awaiting its missing

Eight years after her husband was allegedly abducted by the then Royal Nepali Army at peak of the country’s 10-year civil war, Siwa Devi Tharu of Bardiya in western Nepal, still hopes that he is alive and will return.

Updated on: Aug 30, 2010, 23:59:34 IST

Hindustan Times | By Utpal Parashar, Kathmandu

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Eight years after her husband was allegedly abducted by the then Royal Nepali Army at peak of the country’s 10-year civil war, Siwa Devi Tharu of Bardiya in western Nepal, still hopes that he is alive and will return.

Siwa Devi is one of the six families depicted in Shadows of Hope, a film released by International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) this month, to highlight plight of families of Nepal’s missing citizens.

“More than 1350 persons who went missing are still unaccounted for and their families still wonder whether they are dead or alive,” says Rafiullah Qureshi of ICRC-Nepal.

In the peace agreement signed in 2006, both Maoists and the government had agreed to publicize details of those disappeared or killed within 60 days. That list is still to be prepared.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Utpal Parashar
A seasoned senior journalist, I have nearly three decades of experience across print, digital, and online platforms, covering political transitions, insurgencies, environmental issues, and development stories in India and Nepal. I am skilled in breaking news, leading editorial teams and launch of newspaper editions. I am adept at leveraging digital trends and social media to expand global reach, with a strong ethical foundation and a reputation for impactful journalism. An alumnus of Asian College of Journalism, I joined Hindustan Times in New Delhi as a trainee reporter in May 1997. Over the years, I have been posted in Dehradun, Kathmandu (Nepal) and Guwahati. Currently, as Senior Assistant Editor at Hindustan Times, I lead a team reporting on India’s northeastern states. My work involves in-depth analysis, and engaging multimedia storytelling across formats, including text, photo, video, and interactive content. I am skilled in producing timely, shareable content, leveraging digital platforms and social media to engage global audiences. Throughout my career with the Hindustan Times, I have led diverse editorial teams, designed capacity-building activities, and supported reporters in developing strong story ideas, ethical reporting practices, digital skills, and fact-checking techniques. As Senior Assistant Editor for Northeast India, I have been responsible for guiding correspondents through complex political, humanitarian, and community-level stories using multimedia formats. Earlier, as Foreign Correspondent in Nepal, I produced extensive reporting during Nepal’s democratic transition and the 2015 earthquake and its aftermath.Read More

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