A sad story

On the way to Dharapori from Simikot, there is a large boulder on the edge of the cliff.

Below the cliff is the river. Most Nepalis do not know how to swim, and I wouldn't suggest going in the river as it would be feezing cold.

Alex has been working in the Humla region for about a decade.
During this time there was a Maoist Insurgency, where many people from the local area, who may have been maoist took up weapons and tried destroying government facilities. There were many fatalities on both sides, Government and Maoist.

It is also difficult to clarify the motives for both sides. After living in Nepal for about 5 months, I am still unsure. However there is alot of corruption in the country, with not much accountability, and the Humla region (remote North West of Nepal) is often forgotton, with the people there at a severe disadvantage, with food shortages, and missing basic necessaties.

Back to the story.
During the Maoist insurgency a few years ago, there was a group of police that were travelling along this path. This is the main trail to Tibet, and as people would travel along it to do trading with China, it is used regularly, with many villages along it.

There were 2 boys from the local village who were along this trail when the police were coming, took fright and hid near this boulder. The police found them, thinking they were maoist, then shot them. They then threw the bodies down the cliff into the river.
Alex travelled along this trail the day after this event, and saw the blood stains.

Now I was not there, so I would not be able to say if they were Maoist or not, who the police were, or even if that should matter. However the more I learn about the region, there are many sad stories, and there are often things happening within the local culture that you are never aware that happen.
When doing development work, things like this have a significant influence and as an outsider you are often not aware of events like this. So often decisions or actions that locals make may be completely baffling and illogical to a foreigner. However learning about events like this increase our understanding.