ACHHAM, May 30 -- Superstitious beliefs are driving menstruating women and girls in Achham out of their homes and into Chhaupadi sheds in Achham paying no heed to the government's move of making the practice illegal in 2005 and criminalising it in 2017.

What propelled the villagers' superstitious belief of menstruating women and girls being impure was an incident that took place last Friday. A heap of dry wheat husks caught fire and destroyed six houses including that of three local Dhamis (shamans) in Dhakari, Achham.

Sixty goats and two cattle belonging to six households perished in the fire. According to the District Police Office, properties worth around Rs18.2 million were destroyed in the inferno.

This incident came on the heels ...