My Dad is now 75 years old. My Mom is not much younger than him. They are both living in Kathmandu while I am raising my kids in Canada.
I worked in Nepal in the private sector for 3 years as an Engineer. Rs. 4000 - that's how much my salary was. I finally got tired of the communal atmosphere of my company and left to come to Canada where I make a decent living and secure future for my kids.
Nepal has been a place of injustice and insecurity since decades atleast. However, I feel never has this chaos affected the masses to this level. Take for example what's happening to my family - The part of my family who I have had to leave behind. My father who was raised by his single mother from a tender age, who self educated himself and made a decent living working in the Government of the then HMG last held the post of the Joint Secretary and never made more money than his government salary and that was the reason his rise in the government was a slow process. We watched and learned from my father that Integrity is to be held at the highest level. Truth and justice should be the pillars of a civil society.
We had a small house which was built by my mother and father around 1970 taking loans from the Provident Fund. Then out of the blue in the year 2006 a fraud borrowed money from a bank he had established and built a 10 storey building at the heart of a residential area. Our small home got so cold in winter because of the tall building that my father actually got sick. He decided to build another house at the back since we had some land remaining and this time he wanted to build it to occupy the breadth of our small parcel of land.
Enter the Neighbour. One of our neighbours are a family who have inherited their land from their grandfathers generation. They know that I have been in Canada for the last 6 years. They have seen an opportunity to land grab. They have bribed almost every person in the concerned authority to try to make building the house that my parents want to call home a nightmare. My father had to file a court case after they bribed the Karmacharis of the ward and Kathmandu municipality and malpot to claim that the wall that is on our land is actually theirs. It is quite likely that they will lose the case and we will win because there are yet few persons in Nepal who have not sold their souls to the devil. There are yet a few who know that humanity must survive in us and in themselves that in the end justice will win.
Yesterday, was a court hearing and it appears that they also know that no matter how much they try to bribe their way yet we will win. So my Mom and Dad returned from the court hearing and were about to enter their home when suddenly the Neighbour's wife and her 12 grade son lunged at my 75 year old Father and snatched the chain around my mother's neck. My Dad had bumps on his face and my mother had a wound on her knee since she fell on the ground. A huge crowd quickly gathered to see the tamasa.
My parents hurried home and called Police. These local police have been bribed by this neighbour since decades. But who can we call? Who can they call? This neighbour has bad character and gives gentle people in the area a hell. One of their family even once hit a lady police when I was in Nepal many years back. That day that guy was taken to the Jail. However he was let go after several days because of the police relationship with this family. My mom didn't mention that there was any sign of injury to the Neighbour's wife.
Yesterday when my parents went to the police station the Neighbour's wife was crying like hell infront of the police and one of the cronies of the family asked my dad -"Do you know that it is a crime to hit a woman?"
My father replied that yes he knew and that he was just returning from a court case and was infact attacked by the woman. Dear readers, if you see my father you will know what kind of threat he would be to others. He is quite frail from not eating the whole afternoon while he was working in government. That was how much he loved his work. I know some of you won't believe that people in government used to work like that. There was yet one person in the police who wrote the report. My mom was saying that he was kind and said that he pretty much knew what the true story was. He made the Neighbour and my parents to sign a agreement form not to harm each other. But knowing that neighbour family I know that it may not be long before they do some other nasty thing to my parents.
I want to go today and be with my parents. But I know that I will be a burden to my family and to my country if I return just now without any plan.
My father does not want to create a huge issue out of this by making this case public and he has been working his way through the justice system no matter how much he has had to struggle. But I fear that the actions of this neighbour has become bolder by the day.
What can I do from Canada to help bring justice to this old couple who are so dear to my heart? Is justice alive in this land of lord Shiva? Where can I go for help? Who can I approach?
