By Deepak Joshi Pokhrel

Just a week before the nation witnessed a massive protest aimed at the restoration of monarchy and revival of the Hindu state, a member of the Dom community – the so-called untouchability group in the Siraha district of the country – had something else to share with us. Deepak Malik Dom is a resident of Aurahi rural municipality in Saraha district. He comes from a dalit family. His house was demolished for the communal preparation for the so-called Vishnu Mahayagay, and Dom’s family was uprooted because Bajrangi Baba – an organiser of the ritual – reportedly declared that the presence and movement of Dalits near the proposed venue of the performance would defile the ritual. Even worse, the chairman of the rural municipality – Shivaji Yadav – a temporal agent of the event, was duty-bound to implement the instruction of religious authority. The news spread like wildfire, and media coverage of the odious practices triggered a massive protest. As a result, the provincial authority quickly sprang to action and apprehended the perpetrators.

One should not think that the district is very underdeveloped and that it is located in the back of beyond. It is not. As a matter of fact, the district has a history of producing great political figures and scholars. The district is the home to the founder of the non-resident movement, Upendra Mahato, and celebrity chef Santosh Shah. Media people like Rupa Jha, among others, call Siraha their home. Despite this, discrimination based on caste continues to thrive in the district.

The cases of discrimination based on caste are nothing unique in the country. Over the years, we have often come across the news where people are discriminated against on the basis of their caste. A few years ago, a house owner declined to rent a flat to a journalist – Rupa Sunar – on the grounds of her outcast status in the heart of Kathmandu. Likewise, a young boy from the dalit community was mercilessly murdered by the relatives of a girl from a high class in the Rukum district some years ago. The reason was not big. It was very simple. Both were in love and were planning to tie the nuptial knot. In 2020, a 13-year-old dalit girl, Angira Pasi, hanged herself in a village in western Nepal. A 25-year-old man had raped her. But the case was not referred to the police, as she was a dalit girl, and the locals attempted to resolve the crime outside the court. After she was denied justice, she ended her life.

These are just a few incidents of discrimination against dalits. There are several others. There are many unreported cases of physical assault on dalits and verbal slander. Likewise, refusal to shake hands, being asked to sit differently, even being served tea in different cups from others, reluctance to share the same water taps and refusal to allow them to enter the house are still everyday affairs in various parts of the country.

Nepal is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country. Ethnic and cultural diversity has remained strong in the country. However, diversity can also be a great weakness when it involves discrimination and violence between groups. According to the Nepal Census 2021, the dalit population is 13.8% of the total population. Dalits are socially, culturally and structurally based on the notion of purity and impurity. Sadly, Nepal's caste system continues to foster such discrimination and violence, especially against dalits.

A new Muliki Ain was promulgated in 1963. It used more caste-neutral language and outlawed some forms of discrimination. Moreover, Nepal signed the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, which took effect in 1961. With this, Nepal committed to equal rights and dignity for all. At the same time, the Nepalese constitution of 2015 is undeniably the progressive one in its approach to the inclusion and empowerment of dalits. But despite the various legal forms, the tradition of discrimination on the grounds of caste continues to take a huge toll on several aspects of the country.

In his famous book, Muna Madan, the father of modern Nepali essay writing, Laxmi Prasad Devkota, said that Manish thulo dilale huncha jatale hudaina (literaly translation: “a person becomes great because of his kind heart, not of his caste.) But it is really very disheartening to note that his famous remarks were limited within the book, as discrimination on the grounds of caste goes unabated in the country.

It is really very strange and disgusting to see such inhuman and immoral activities thriving in Nepal. Similarly, it is ridiculous to see people discriminating against one section of the population on the basis of caste. While the nation has transformed politically after several democratic struggles, the people belonging to the dalit community continue to suffer silently.

When we assess the reason why discrimination on the grounds of caste continues in Nepal, we find that the mentality of the people is still guided by orthodox thinking. We still live in a society where people are judged on the basis of their caste and not based on their academic credentials and capabilities. Our social structure gives an upper hand to certain sections of the population, while some sections are always at the receiving end due to their caste and ethnicity.

While the cases of discrimination against dalits are increasing, the government claims that such immoral and inhuman activities have decreased drastically. It is not understandable what led our government to make such a claim without assessing the ground realities. Either it wants to present a rosy picture of the country, or it lacks adequate information.

We have a constitution that guarantees the rights of every citizen. We also have signed several international covenants. Despite these, the cases of discrimination on grounds of caste raise the question of our commitment to end such an inhuman practice. We have to recognise the gap in the effective implementation to make this practice a thing of the past.