Outrage in Nepal over rape and murder of three-year-old girl

Nepal has been gripped by ongoing protests since a three-year-old girl was found dead last week in Madhesh province, three days after she went missing. A local police spokesman told the BBC that nine people have been arrested in connection with the case.

The crime has sparked widespread outrage and calls for reform. Police have faced accusations of negligence in the early stages of the investigation after footage of a teenage suspect was leaked onto social media.

Following days of demonstrations in the city of Simara, the victim's family met with government ministers and reached a written agreement over the weekend. The government has pledged to review laws covering serious crimes and to build a memorial for the child. The case has also sparked a broader debate over how Nepal handles young offenders, with some campaigners calling for harsher penalties for minors convicted of rape or murder.

Reaction and investigation

Human rights activist Gauri Pradhan described the attack as a very painful incident, urging the government to punish everyone involved and to pursue serious reforms, while cautioning against introducing the death penalty.

Anger has also grown over the leak of a video showing a teenage suspect giving a statement during the police investigation, raising questions about how such footage became public. Dharmendra Kumar Mishra, chief district officer of Bara district, told the BBC that one police officer had been found directly involved in the leak and faces disciplinary action, adding that further officers found responsible would also be punished, stating there is zero tolerance for such practices.

According to Nepalese Police, more than 25,500 accusations of rape and sexual abuse were filed between July 2017 and July 2025, with more than 3,200 of the female victims under the age of 10.