Great courage....but no fairy tale endings....

Kopila wrote this at 2.00am this morning. It has been an exhausting and draining time and she would never say this herself but she has been amazing. It is not that she doesn't feel scared. She does. Sometimes she doubts herself. But, and this is courage, in spite of her fears, she does what she believes is right.

She writes: Recently, I was approached by a young woman who wanted Samunnat to help her 14 year old sister who was being repeatedly abused by a guru (priest) at a local ashram.  It has been very difficult because this guru is very powerful and has supporters even in India.  Ever since I became involved there are clamouring, loud, angry voices and threats to me.  People have accused us of wanting publicity, or of trying to destroy religion.  We are simply seeking justice and this little girl’s human rights.  

In all the clamouring and noise, all I hear is this little girl’s pain.

Just two days before the first court hearing,  Samunnat hired two lawyers because the followers were so aggressive that police suggested it was unsafe for me to go to the court.  Over one thousand of the guru’s supporters people want to hurt me.  Fortunately the Nepali Bar Association support me and said that if I was threatened further, no one from Jhapa Bar Association will plead the case so the threats stopped.   

The pleading of the two lawyers and medical evidence meant that the guru’s application for bail was refused and he is in custody.  However, there was another dreadful situation when the guru’s followers bought the girl’s father from Kailali and he took her from her sister.  When her sister gave the girl to her father they took her to the temple and bullied her to change her statements.  She came to the next hearing saying that I and her brother-in-law forced her to accuse her guru. Her mother and one sister are supporting me and saying she has been forced to say this but her father and the followers continued to apply pressure to her. She is just a 14 year old girl and in a dreadful situation.

We hoped that in the last hearing she would make her original statement but the followers didn't gave chance for me to meet with the little girl.  Even at the police station her father and the followers hid her from me.  I could hardly saw her.   In spite of this, her sister's statement was so strong and brave and powerful and our lawyers are saying that many people know the guru is not innocent.  Whatever happens, the case  is know very well known and the guru is at least temporarily in gaol and many people know his crime.  Women from local community are protesting against the Guru.  There is some justice that has come out of this. Of course we are still so worried for this little girl.

It is not just earthquakes that make life scary sometimes.  And Kopila knows that she is not alone in her struggle for justice.