KATHMANDU, JANUARY 9
Laxmi Mahato, Dilip Mahato’s sister, believes that her brother’s sacrifice will inspire the entire nation to take environmental rights seriously.
“My brother lost his life while trying to stop illegal sand and stone extraction affecting the Aurahi River near our home in Dhanusha district. He was passionate about the environment, but he was also fighting for social justice and the rule of law that stops and criminalises illegal excavations in our rivers,” says Laxmi.
“We lost our brother, and the lives of our whole family, especially my mum and dad, were tragically turned upside down. The loss of Dilip was, and it is still, devastating to all of us. Now we do hope that justice will prevail and the ultimate sacrifice made by our brothers will inspire the whole nation to take environmental rights seriously.”
On January 10, 2020, Dilip Mahato, a youth and environmental rights activist and engineering student who had just finished his final exam in Bhopal, India, while on vacation at home, was brutally murdered for attempting to protect Tarai’s fragile ecosystem.
Dilip had been involved in environmental activism for many years, and he was deeply concerned about a local sand processing factory’s illegal sand and stone extraction.
When some of its operators were discovered illegally extracting sand and stones from a local river near his home in Dhanusa’s Mithila Municipality, Madhes Province, Dilip attempted to stop them. When Dilip confronted them, he was fatally attacked with knives, and his body was run over by a tipper truck before being disposed of in a remote area.
After five years, numerous stories have emerged about Dilip’s assassination. However, justice is still doing its course after the family of Dilip decided to appeal sentences against the perpetrators from the Dhanusha District Court that were not only too lenient and unfair but were also a complete farce to justice.
The lawsuit against the perpetrators of this heinous crime lies within the Supreme Court, and the family of Dilip is waiting for justice to prevail.
“It is paramount to remember and commemorate the ultimate sacrifice made by Dilip,” shared Omkar Subedi from Digo Bikas Institute.
“Six years on, justice delayed has become justice denied. The brutal assassination of environmental defender Dilip Mahato was not only an attack on one life but also an attack on our collective right to question environmental exploitation and our right to speak against all the misconduct and our constitutional right to live in a clean and healthy environment. The struggles of Dilip Mahato and his family from Day One have given us the courage to continue our struggles and work questioning the corporate-led governing system that has commodified our natural rivers, mountains and forests. This struggle is not just on the streets but also inside the walls of the court, and we will continue this struggle, standing close and strong with family and all the environmental defenders yet to be heard.”
Two of the three perpetrators that were jailed while waiting for the final sentence escaped during the September 8 and 9 Gen Z uprising last year.
Senior Advocate Padam Shrestha, legal counsel for Dilip’s family, stated that when he heard in the news regarding this case that no lawyer had been found for this lawsuit, lawyers from Dhanusha had said they would fight the case but were found to have backed out on the day of the hearing.
“After that, I contacted Dilip’s sister and said that since this case was related to environmental protection, I would fight it free of cost. Then, we decided to plead the case by forming a group of eight advocates,” he said.
“We went to Dhanusha district several times to debate in the Dhanusha District Court and repeatedly carried out legal pleadings, and we went to the High Court twice. In this regard, the Digo Bikash Institute provided us with a lot of support and assistance, creating a safe and convenient environment for travel back and forth.” He further said, “While pleading the case in this way, we also received many threats, being told not to fight this case. At present, after the Gen Z revolution, two of the culprits are in a state of having escaped from prison, and this case is on appeal. Our demand is not life imprisonment by birth but lifetime imprisonment. We still insist that those who commit or cause such cruel murders must receive lifelong imprisonment.”