Kathmandu, Aug. 13 -- In Banepa municipality, Kavre, three sisters are at the centre of a storm. Not for breaking the law. For something bigger, at least, that's what their village says.

Their crime? Breaking the so-called tradition by performing the funeral rites for their father.

On Sunday, after the death of their 91-year-old father, Hari Prasad Sapkota, daughters Bimala, Nirmala, and Radhika took the roles traditionally reserved for sons. They lit the funeral pyre and began the 13-day kriya [mourning ritual].

What followed was resistance, rather than condolences. Meetings were called in the community to discuss socially boycotting the sisters. Some villagers declared they would not enter their homes.

For Radhika Sapkota, a women's...