It was a freezing January night in Nepal's far west and 17-year-old Parwati Bogati had lit a fire to keep warm as she prepared to spend the Himalayan winter night alone. Overnight, Bogati suffocated from smoke-inhalation. Her lifeless body was found by her mother-in-law the next morning, police said. The teenager, from Purbichauki village in western Nepal's Doti district, is believed to have been the latest victim of a centuries-old taboo that considers women and girls as unclean during menstruation.
"She had lit a fire on the floor as it was bitterly cold that night due to lower temperatures and rain," said Doti district police inspector Sundar Bam. "The blanket was charred. It appears the blanket had caught fire while she was asleep filling the room with smoke, and since the window and door were both shut, we think she died because of smoke inhalation."
"She had lit a fire on the floor as it was bitterly cold that night due to lower temperatures and rain," said Doti district police inspector Sundar Bam. "The blanket was charred. It appears the blanket had caught fire while she was asleep filling the room with smoke, and since the window and door were both shut, we think she died because of smoke inhalation."
