Fourteen-year-old Kabita Singh Thakuri of ward 6 of Athbiskot Municipality in Dailekh district is a 10th grader at Chiltada-based Chandika Secondary School in ward 9 of Panchadewal Binayak Municipality of Achham district. She has been absent in class for around 50 days since mid-June.

Not just Kabita. Many other adolescent girls of her village skip school at least for a few days every month for the same reason.

There is a suspension footbridge across the Karnali river connecting ward 4 of Athbiskot Municipality of Dailekh and ward 9 of Panchadewal Binayak Municipality of Achham. The bridge has been perilous after the bridge cables on one side snapped and the structure tilted sharply in the second week of June. Fourteen mules were trapped on the suspension bridge after the bridge cables snapped (of which 12 were rescued alive while two others died).

And there is an alternative footbridge, around a kilometre away, over the Karnali river. But on the Dailekh side of this bridge is the Nainel Temple and the local tradition bars menstruating girls and women from passing by the temple.

“It is almost impossible to use the broken bridge where the mules were trapped. And we are not allowed to cross the other bridge because of the temple. So, if we have exams or important classes, we take risks and use the dilapidated bridge during our periods. Otherwise, we miss classes for five days every month,” said Kabita. “I did decently in my studies in the past, but they have been affected due to the bridge issue.”

Like Kabita, around two dozen girls in her village who study in grade 8, 9 and 10 at Chandika Secondary School are routinely absent during their periods. This badly affects their studies.

Students from Khidkijyula area of Dailekh must cross the Karnali river to attend secondary school at Chiltada of Achham. It takes just 10-15 minutes to reach school if they use the broken footbridge, but the journey takes around an hour using the alternative bridge. However, menstruating girls fear crossing the alternative bridge, believing it would anger the deity at the nearby temple and bring misfortune.

“We have two options during our periods—either risk our lives crossing the broken bridge or miss classes for 10 days,” said Tulsi Chaulagain, a seventh grader at Chandika Secondary School.

And making matters worse for the girls, the school administration recently imposed a fine of Rs20 on students for each day missed.

“It is a deeply rooted belief in our society that one should not pass by temples and shrines during menstruation, otherwise untoward incidents may happen in our life. We fear crossing the bridge with the temple nearby and can’t attend classes regularly, but then we have to pay fines” lamented another student Gita Sunar.

The school is struggling to run regular classes with many girl students routinely absent. “Many students are absent for up to 10 days a month. Their studies have been affected. We encourage the girls to use the new bridge. But they have the abject fear of angering the gods,” said Janak Neupane, a teacher at Chandika Secondary School.

The damaged bridge has sharply tilted. “A technical team, after their field studies, has advised people against using it, but people still use the bridge risking their lives,” said Ram Prasad Jaisi, chairman of ward 9 of Panchadewal Binayak Municipality.

According to him, repair of the damaged bridge is not possible and the authorities have not taken any initiatives to build a new one.

According to Jaisi, the local people, even the girls and women, have deep faith in Nainel deity and avoid passing by the temple during their periods. “They instead risk their lives by crossing the dilapidated bridge during emergencies,” he added.