Rajbiraj, October 27

One of the most popular Chhath celebration sites, Mokhana Pokhari in Saptari’s Maleth, assumed a deserted look this year. Unlike previous years, there were almost no devotees at the site, whereas the other sites in the district were teeming with revellers.

The reason was the March 6 incident that saw the death of five persons, three from Maleth alone, in a police firing during a protest rally. Though it’s been months since the incident took place, the entire village, along with their family and relatives, mourns the death of those people. “As the tragedy is still fresh in our mind, there is no way we could celebrate the festival,” said a local.

The fatal incident had happened when police had opened fire at demonstrators protesting against CPN-UML’s Mechi-Mahakali campaign on March 6.

“We are still mourning his death,” said martyr Pitambar Mandal’s wife Somani Devi, who said she is still struggling to cope with the loss of her husband.