A six-year-old boy, Ramesh Nath, died on Friday evening after being hit by a stone in Swara, Ward No. 2 of Bafikot Rural Municipality, Rukum West. Police have arrested 33-year-old Bhakt Bahadur Nath, a local resident, in connection with the incident.
According to police, Ramesh, the son of Bal Bahadur Nath, was playing near his home around 5:30 PM on Friday when Bhakt Bahadur Nath suddenly struck him on the head with a stone. The assailant is reportedly of unsound mental health.
Ramesh sustained serious injuries from the stone attack and was immediately taken to the local Pipol Health Post for initial treatment. After receiving basic care there, he was transferred to District Hospital Salle for further medical attention. However, doctors at the District Hospital Salle pronounced the boy dead at approximately 10:00 PM on Friday while he was undergoing treatment.
Police promptly apprehended Bhakt Bahadur Nath following the incident. Authorities have stated that the attacker’s mental state is reportedly unstable. Police are continuing their inquiry into the incident.
Rukum West has been the site of several notable incidents in recent years. In a separate and unrelated event on May 23, 2020, six Dalit youths were killed in Soti, Chaurjahari Municipality, following a dispute related to an inter-caste relationship. A parliamentary committee that investigated the 2020 incident concluded it was a premeditated mass murder driven by caste discrimination. In December 2023, 24 individuals were sentenced to life imprisonment for those murders, with two others receiving two-year sentences for caste discrimination.
Earlier, in August 2018, relatives of a patient named Kamal Rawal vandalised Rapti Community Hospital in Rukum West after he died during treatment. More recently, in November 2025, an earthquake in Rukum West resulted in 42 deaths and 100 injuries.
The exact circumstances and motivations behind Bhakt Bahadur Nath’s actions, beyond his reported mental state, are still under investigation. Further details regarding the mental health assessment of the accused are not yet available to the public.
