He left home to hustle and returned home in a casket. The hit and run accident ended his living journey. His family (wife, 16-year-old daughter, 27-year-old daughter and 23-year-old son) lost a breadwinner, husband, best friend and father. The money he saved to operate his paralysed wife was used for funeral arrangements.
After the burial, his three sisters shared the condolence money and left his family financially drained. The youngest daughter dropped out of school to look after her mother while the oldest went job hunting. Luckily, she got a job at the Gram’s shop owned by a foreigner as a cleaner. The little money she earned monthly was used to fulfill her family needs.
On the 4th of December 2018, heavy rain with thunderstorms occurred and the roof of their three roomed house collapsed. House appliances were destroyed. Lightning struck their paralysed mother and she died. The children were filled with an unpleasant mixed emotions. The following day around 8am, the ward council called a meeting at the local community hall regarding the horrific accident but only 20 residents attended.
The ward council kindly requested donations from the residents to aid the family but no one participated. The reason for non-participation was that 79% of the residents were too xenophobic; they had developed discrimination and hatred towards the family because the oldest daughter was a servant at the business owned by a foreigner.
The ward council passed the matter to municipality authorities. The Municipality Disaster Management Plan handlers rescued with funeral arrangements and fixed the house.
While the three remaining family members were still healing and mourning, the residents who supported xenophobia formed a two-day strike against the foreigners. On the second night, the angry mob attacked the foreign businesswoman, her son and her two daughters with fire. The three innocent souls were burnt to ashes. The son was rushed to a local hospital. The detectives opened three cases of murder and one case of attempted murder.
The son was hospitalised for 2 months because of horrid injuries. He returned home and found his family house demolished. A cave became his new shelter. His maternal and paternal families didn’t care about him and he suffered alone. His survival on the mountain was harder (feeling lonely, no proper food, no water, different animals, disturbing sounds, no clothes and blankets). He moved to the streets and made friends. Digging in bins and stealing groceries were methods used to feed their hungry bellies and cravings.
One afternoon, he and five friends hijacked a medication delivery truck but their plan was unsuccessful. They were arrested and all served two years in prison. The son was stabbed to death. He was laid to rest at the prison cemetery. No justice was served for his sisters and his mother.
Tell us: Why is it so important to fight against xenophobia?
