Rautahat, Sept. 4 -- The small Dalit settlement of Bahadurpur, which lies around 500 metres to the southwest of Katahariya Bazar in Rautahat district, has been shrouded in grief for over a week. On August 27, 30-year-old Nasib Baitha died while undergoing treatment at Sports Hospital in Birgunj. His death followed a brutal beating over allegations that he stole a mobile phone worth around Rs30,000-allegations that police investigations later revealed to be false.

When the Post visited Nasib's home on Monday, his mother Sunaina sat surrounded by relatives, her face etched with sorrow. "They killed my son over a false accusation," she said, her voice trembling. Sunaina has now lost both her husband and her only son within a month.

Nasib, ...