The Saw Mill Tragedy

Bini Dahal

Kathmandu was recently rocked by a very shocking incident. In a local saw mill located at Gairigaun, four individuals were found murdered at night time. The four lost their lives out of vengeance and anger of a twenty-three-year-old man. The murderer had initially planned to harm only one individual. However, out of fear of getting caught, he went on to kill three more people in the same location. 

As per media reports, the murderer had got into a fight with an individual when the latter had hit the former with his bike. The murderer, who has been speech-impaired since birth, was apparently even beaten up by the individual working at the saw mill. 

After the altercation, he had tried meeting the individual multiple times to discuss the issue. As he failed to do so, he decided to reach the mill where the individual worked, with a sharp knife. The murderer has been identified, thanks to CCTV footage.

Before the identification of the murderer, another person was in suspicion and news had spread that after committing the crime he had reached the police station to confess to the police. However, this was not the case.

With the help of modern-day technology, be it in regard to surveillance or scientific development, we are now capable of identifying the criminals and offenders easily. But in the case of Nepal, surveillance measures like the installation of CCTVs and other devices remains a novice idea and much needs to be done in this connection.

So, what would have happened had the police not been able to identify the offender in this case? That would have not just been a huge problem of injustice but also aided to the incompetency on the part of the authorities. Now coming back to the crime, it is an indication of a lot many things. First is that of a deteriorating mental health in today’s population. 

As thoughts run wild, we are unable to put a control on it. This is when we go on to do the unthinkable. A lot of crimes today have stemmed from poor mental health and from the issues that remain deeply-rooted in our society. 

These kinds of crimes indicate the unpredictability of human beings. Who would have thought a seemingly okay individual would commit such a heinous crime? And how do we know which kind of action forces a dangerous reaction from another individual?

While our society has experienced rapid growth and development, we seem to have lost our morality and even the ability to differentiate between what is right and what is wrong. We have become so impulsive in our thinking and actions that we lose our sense. And this has plagued the society badly. 

For a society which stigmatises as much as it can, and does not give much importance to mental health issues, these incidents are a reminder to probe deeper into what must be done to prevent them. Moral education should be taught and encouraged to practice right from school life. Also necessary counselling should be given to people in order to ensure that individuals don’t take the wrong step. 

There should be empathy, understanding and patience among the people. Revenge and anger can destroy everything. People should be made to understand this. Most importantly, our justice system, rules and regulations should be developed in a holistic manner. By doing so, we can force the people to not go out of the track and do something awfully bad.