Invisible wounds

By Rabin Giri

The International Community’s and our attention is focused on the ongoing talks that promise peace after more than a decade of violence, uncertainty and instability. The economic, political and even military implications are many and profound – the future of the entire nation depends on what transpires now. While our leaders wrestle with stalemates, it is an opportune time for general introspection on the state of things and the transformation this Shangri-La of yore has undergone in the recent past. The affects of the decade-long Conflict are many; some open and evident, but there are many that have remained in the dark, and are a cause of concern.

The Conflict has left a bleak landscape on many fronts. Business is reeling under different pressures, the political system is in a limbo trying to discover itself and redefine its role and life in general is still in a state of shock. The transformation this nation underwent in the past decade has indeed been difficult, the countryside having to wake up one day from a pristine and languid agrarian state to one of war, where death became normal and uncertainty the rule of the day. The times have been trying for the general masses and they have had to bear with tremendous mental and physical pressures: the consequences have been there to see on and off, but most of it remains under wraps or go unnoticed due to ignorance or denial.

Sangam Subba, 11, sitting in a classroom of Auliya Lower Secondary School, Chatara, appears a normal child at first glance. But when asked about her mother, you see a different side to her: face grim, tears rolling down her eyes, she is lost for words. Sangam’s mother, Dhan Kumari Rai was shot dead on Baisakh 11, 2062 at Thoksila of Udaypur by security forces; she had joined the Maoists after her husband, Sangam’s father, attached Maoists. “After hearing about her mother’s death, Sangam tends to keep to herself. Her studies have also been affected,” Sangam’s teacher, Anil Subedi says. With each passing day, her father Dambar Tumbahamphe, Maoist in-charge, Barahkshetra VDC, too is getting more disillusioned with life. He is losing his eyesight, and says that he cannot make out things clearly at distances of even 20 meters or less. As he adds, “The whole world seems dark now,” and he feels the torture that he endured in jail responsible for the deterioration of his eyesight and the other problems he is experiencing now. Tumbahamphe, who is also the regional member of the Kirant National Front, was first arrested on Bhadra 2, 2060 from Charkose Jhaadi near Dharan, and was jailed for 24 months.

This father and daughter duo is just one among the many who have fallen prey to mental illness as a result of the Conflict. According to Dr. Pramod Mohan Syangba, Chief, Psychology Department, B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences (BPKIHS), Dharan, the number of mental patients has increased significantly in recent years. An increasing number of people are suffering from mental illnesses like depression, anxiety, and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and schizophrenia. Nepal has always been on the back foot when it comes to mental health, the official resources strained and far too inadequate to meet the needs. With the recent increase in mental cases, the situation has further deteriorated. For a nation this size, “There are only around 30 psychiatry experts… In eastern Nepal, there are only four of us, three in Dharan and one in Biratnagar,” Dr. Syangba says.

Prakash (name changed) of Ilam was forcefully recruited into the Maoist militia about three years ago. Prakash, just 18 then, received a serious leg injury during a clash with security forces. He repeatedly pleaded for treatment, but was told by his superiors that his turn would come only after that of his higher-ranking comrades. Learning of Prakash’s grievous state, his father took him to Siliguri for treatment. But before his wounds could heal, he was forced to resume his duties. The physical and mental strain soon took its toll and Prakash developed other problems: he became restless, stopped speaking to people, would think people were plotting to kill him, and would start crying without any reasons. He was then returned to his family and thereafter admitted at BPKIHS. The doctors treating him have diagnosed him as schizophrenic, a mental state that will require lifelong treatment.

Uttam Limbu, 24, of Titrigachi, Sunsari, was detailed by the Army on Jestha 14, 2059, and is unaccounted for since. His mother Dhan Maya Limbu anxiously awaits news of her son. Now she suffers from migraines and is tired all the time. “She talks about her son all the time. She speaks out in her sleep and has nightmares. She lies awake all night and sleeps throughout the day”, says her husband, Machindra. Similarly, the whereabouts of Hari Bahadur Magar, who was arrested from the same place on the same day, is still not known. His mother, Padam Kumari, 68, is also in the brink of losing her sanity. She has lost her appetite and almost half her weight. She keeps watching TV all day long hoping to catch a glimpse of her son. Sher Bahadur Tamang, whose 18-year-old son Ishwor Tamang was killed by the Army in suspicion of being a Maoist, suffers the same fate. His wife, Bishnu Maya had found Sher Bahadur, lying unconscious behind their house, on the fifth day of their son’s killing. “I thought I heard my son calling out my name,” Sher Bahadur says.

Dr Syangba says that the family members of those killed or detained by the State or the Maoists suffer from different mental illnesses. They are hounded by the thoughts of their lost ones all the time. “As the condition deteriorates, they often become violent and suicidal.”

Tortured instability

Proper statistics about mental health and illnesses are unavailable in Nepal. Dr. Kapil Dev Upadhyay, Director, Mental Hospital, Kathmandu, says that a lot needs to be done in the field of mental health in Nepal. In 2051/52, when the Conflict had just starter, 422 mental patients had registered at BPKIHS for treatment. The number jumped 25 times in the following 10 years to reach 10,806 in 2062/63. Despite this huge increase in the number of registrations, we may just be looking at the tip of the iceberg. As per Dr Syangba, only 1% of total mental patients in Nepal seek medical help, the remaining 99% languish untreated.

Violence, bloodshed, terrorism and torture are the root causes of mental illnesses, and eyewitnesses to violent events, those who have lost their loved ones to lost their loved ones to war, those exposed to violence of different sorts and those tortured are the most affected. A few choose to voice their sufferings while most don’t. Himal Rai, a local journalist was tortured for four days in Falgun 2060 for writing a news piece about the formation of Maoist Retaliation Committee in a village. Rai has nightmares of the incident and says, “I still get chills remembering their torture.” Since then, he has lost faith in the Maoist ideology.

Amar Karki, 29, of Sunsari, Bharaul joined the Maoists in 2054. Karki has been picked up four times by the Army, and most recently, he was detained for 25-months. During his detention, he had to suffer immense torture, from electric shocks, pins pushed under his nails to being made to drink urine. As a result of that treatment, he is now a cripple: barely able to speak, walk or see. Like many others, he cannot remember things and has frequent nightmares now.

None Immune

“I received a new life, I was fortunate enough to live”, police constable Raghu Nath Mahato says recalling the clash at Pandhare of Bhojpur on Ashad 8, 2062. He was among few policemen who survived the clash against Maoists that day. The Maoists abducted 12 policemen, including Mahato, and 8 army men after the clash. “I had given up hope of leaving from the Maoist captivity alive”, Mahato says. His case is not isolated, and contrary to general perceptions, the security forces have been under similar or even more pressure than the average person. Keeping a balance between duty, responsibility, conscience and social pressures is a difficult path to walk on, and many often succumb.

Many security personnel face immense mental pressure after being threatened by the Maoists to quit their jobs or face dire consequences. Like the ones previously abducted or those posted in Maoist infested areas, they often face mental problems. Kuber Singh Rana , SSP, Zonal Police Office, Dharan, says, “The soldiers who have participated in clashes have problems such as speaking during sleep, nightmares and a lack of concentration.” Rana adds that many in their ranks have started consuming alcohol to forget their fears while some have even committed suicide. There has also been a sharp rise in resignations from the security forces in recent times. According to psychology professor Sarbagya Narayan Shrestha, police and army people fear being killed doing their jobs. “They feel insecure all the time thinking they will get killed if they fail to kill. That is why they remain in state of offense at all times. The incidents of killing fellow security personnel can be the result of this state of mind.”

Ananta Bahadur Thebe, Spokesperson, Nepal Army, says that most army people have developed psychological problems due to the conflict. However, the problems are not serious in nature as their personnel undergo rigorous training, and thus are conditioned to some extent. They know the hardships of war and are mentally prepared to face it.

On the other side, the Maoists refuse to admit that some of their cadre face mental instability. Om Gurung ‘Saurav’, Maoist deputy commander, Biplav Sirjan Memorial Brigade, says, “The mental problems arise due to ideological immaturity and lack of political awareness. The level of political awareness in our cadres is quite high and so they don’t have this problem.” If, however, any symptoms of mental illness are seen, “The ‘doctors’ of the party counsel them”, Saurav adds. According to him, the Party has appointed some of its cadres as ‘doctors’. Academic qualification is not a criterion, however, they should know English. “They teach about the importance of the sacrifices made by martyrs, and also discuss matters of physical and mental health,” Saurav informs.

Dr. Syangba opines that the Maoists are trying to cover their shortcomings by saying their cadres don’t have mental problems. He reveals that though the Maoist cadres who come to BPKIHS for treatment claim not to have any mental problems, they actually suffer from many mental illnesses. He adds that the so-called ‘doctors’ of the Maoists will do more harm than good for the mentally suffering.

End play

Things maybe on a mend, but the wounds run deeper than evident, and if not addressed in time, the repercussions may be serious and far-reaching. Mental health has never been a priority, and the solitary mentally ill confined away from prying eyes and often restrained by chains. But with the proliferation of mental cases in recent times, we may have a time bomb in hand. As Dr. Syangba says, “It is evident that such mental patients will soon become a burden to their families and the country itself. They will eventually show aggressive behaviour and hurt others and themselves.”

There are differing and numerous views about a possible solution to the problem. Sabita Rai, Chairperson, Sunsari Single Women’s Group, feels that women and children are hit the hardest by the Conflict, and thus a firm step needs to be taken to uplift the living standard of those women and children meanwhile the Maoist assistant secretary of Sunsari district says the problem will be solved only after the political issue is settled. Krishna Prasad Shrestha, political activist feels that the best solution for the problem will be practicing violence-free politics. He also stresses on the need for international support in addressing the problems and treatment of these mentally ill. Professor Sarbagya Narayan Shrestha says that the Maoists should give up the thought that the nation cannot progress until everyone follows their ideology. “If they continue their inflexible stand, then the surge in the numbers of the mentally ill in the nation will be unimaginable,” he says.

The wounds etched in heart by violence and terrorism will definitely take a long time to heal. The concept of revenge and counter attacks will only affect the society adversely in the long run. The treatment of mental illness is possible only after appropriate counselling and mental rehabilitation. However, ‘mental rehabilitation’ seems like a distant dream in the present situation when only physical side of relief and reintegration is being considered.
(Centre for investigative journalism)

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Cases

13-year-old Sabina (name changed), after seeing her siblings killed before her eyes, decided to quit the Maoists. She surrendered at Jabar Jung Battalion of Nepali Army on Poush 7, 62. She was sent to CWIN office at Biratnagar from there. “Save me, I want to live” was all she had kept saying then, program coordinator of CWIN Helpline Bishal Shrestha said, adding, “She refused to return home saying Maoists will take her away again if she does.”

While many face torture hands at the hands of either the Army or the Maoists, there are some like Arjun Pokharel, 25, of Barah Kshetra, who have had to bear the ire on both ends. His father, Indra Bahadur, being a Maoist activist, he enlisted in the militia, and worked in his village. He was picked up by the Army in 2062 and was detained in their barracks at Dharan, Itahari and Inarua. During that period he was tortured, and later released after he succumbed to pleural pneumonia. Immediately after his release, he got into a squabble with an official of the local community forest user group, also a Maoist activist. Arjun’s father on the pretext of disciplining him handed him to the Maoist militia and was thus sent to a labour camp. He was deployed to patrol the Army Camp at Bodhe VDC, Dhankuta, at night and the one at Mulghat during the day. There too he had a fight with a fellow comrade when he tried to catch a nap while patrolling. Arjun says, “I hurled a grenade at him. Fortunately it didn’t explode and he lived.” Soon after the incident, he fled from the labour camp. His father did try to hand him over to Maoists again, but he refused saying he would rather die and stayed home. His brother says, “His behaviour has become peculiar since then, He goes for swims at the Chatara canal at 11 p.m. in the night and says he’ll catch fish there.”

Writer's note:
Actually, I was written this story a year back. Of course, the political scenes of country are changing day by day! Because of this, readers could found some unsuitable quotes due to the lack of updates. But, I assure to you that the Problems of these people are not addressed yet. They are facing same pain as similar as a year before.

Rabin Giri works for Annapurna Post, a Nepali daily newspaper. He can be reached at rayrabin@gmail.com