Dalit News and Views from Nepal, January 2012: Stories of crimes against humanity as they happen!

5 charged with practicing untouchability released

REPUBLICA
TANAHUN, Jan 9: Five people charged with physically abusing a dalit woman in public place were granted bail by the district court on Sunday.

District Court Tanahun ordered the release of 45-year-old Achitkumar Shrestha of Ghasikuwa-1, Nahala and his two daughters, Aradhana, 17, and Puja, 13, and two locals of Bhanumati VDC-4, 28-year-old Kalpana Shrestha and 47-year-old Keshav Shrestha on a bail of Rs 10,000 for each.

The five were accused of thrashing 27-year-old Maya Bishwakarma on December 25 when she was about to fill water from a public tap.

DSP Gautamraj Kattel said that all the accused were released on Sunday following the court´s order.

Stating that she was thrashed and beaten just for being a dalit, the victim had filed a case against the Shrestha family on December 27.

Bishwakarma received treatment nearly 20 hours after the incident at Damauli Hospital.

Published on 2012-01-09 22:28:31 MYREPUBLICA.COM

Lawmakers discuss dalits rights

RSS
KATHMANDU, Jan 6: Discussion in principle on “Bill on National Dalit Rights Commission- 2066 BS” has been concluded on Friday.

The bill was drafted aiming to provide social justice and bring the people of dalit communities in the mainstream of national development by promoting and protecting their rights.

A meeting of the Legislation Committee held this afternoon in Singha Durbar gave a final touch to the two-day-long discussions and clause-wise discussion would be started in the next meeting, chairperson of the Legislation Committee of the Parliament, Yashoda Gurung said.

However, the lawmakers have been divided over whether or not dalit groups exist in Newar communities as included in the schedule of the draft as ´Dalit group of Newar Community´.

Lawmakers from Newar communities, Mangal Siddhi Manandhar, Buddha Ratna Manandhar, Sunil Prajapati and others said there are no dalit groups and therefore no caste discrimination in Newar community and demanded to scrap the schedule. The bill has included Kapali, Kusule, Pode, Chyame, Deula, Khadgi and Kasahi of Newar community in the list of dalit groups.

However, lawmaker Tilak Pariyar, Chhabilal Bishwokarma, Khadga Bahadur Basyal, Khimlal Devkota, Laxman Lal Karn, Padma Lal Bishwokarma, Bishwendra Paswan and others said that the dalit groups of Newar community were enjoying some extra facilities from the State.

The lawmakers agreed to resolve the issue by holding discussions with the groups concerned.

Chairperson Gurung said the bill will be submitted in the Legislature-Parliament with amendment based on consensus after completing necessary discussions on it.

Published on 2012-01-06 15:12:40 MYREPUBLICA.com

DALIT MURDER CASE: sunar’s alleged murderers remanded in custody
REPUBLICA
JUMLA, Jan 3: Jumla Distict Court on Monday has remanded in custody the alleged murderers of Manbir Sunar of Jubitha, Kalikot for further investigation.

The single bench of Judge Amrit Bahadur Basnet has remanded Min Bahadur Shahi, Deep Bahadur Shahi and Jas Bahadur Shahi in police custody.

Blakumari Shahi, the wife of hotel owner Jas Bahadur, has been released in bail.

Sunar was beaten up by the culprits in Jas Bahadur´s hotel for intruding in the kitchen. He succumbed to his injuries on his way to a hospital.

Khallagad police had arrested all three on the day of the incident.

Meanwhile, various Dalit organizations have urged INSEC Nepal to rectify their investigation report which claimed that the motive behind Sunar´s murder was not just the intrusion of the kitchen.

Published on 2012-01-03 14:39:41 MYREPUBLICA.COM

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Sunar’s father begs for justice

REPUBLICA EDITORIAL: Death of a dalit

Dalit killed for intruding kitchen fireplace in hotel

A Dalit lady excluded from Dalit Student quota in Nepal Law Campus

A Dalit lady named Mehak Lohani with great passion seeking her career in law discipline after 10+2 for last two years has been deprived to be enrolled in LLB from Dalit student quota because of discriminatory attitude and behavior of Nepal Law Campus authority towards Dalits. Mehak Lohani, a daughter of Sital Prasad Bishowkarma and permanent residence of Humin-2- Palpa had appeared in the entrance exam of LLB on 2 Manshir 2068 from Dalit quota.

Along with her, there were three Dalit students who appeared in the exam.45% of pass marks was the minimum criteria set by the campus administration for Dalit student to obtain the quota. Out of 70 seats, the campus authority had allocated two quotas for Dalits students. However, she was only a Dalit lady who obtained 59% marks in the exam out of three Dalit students. Rest two Dalit students even had been unable to get the minimum marks.

Thus, she was the eligible Dalit student to get admission in LLB because of the result score. But, at last moment, the campus authority denied to publish her name in the list of successful students without any prior notice to her. Being a deserving candidate, she inquired with campus authority asking why her name was not published in the Dalit quota list. In response of her queries, the campus authority had mentioned the reason that the submitted certification letter of VDC to prove her as Dalit was not enough. However, the official notice of the campus in this respect is not clear on who are the authorized bodies for certification to Dalits either National Dalit Commission or District Administration Office (DAO). At the last moment, citing a reason of inadequate proof, she was not entertained to enroll in LLB.

To some extent, Free Student Union leader of the campus and some Dalit youths had advocated with the campus authority in favor of the Dalit lady to get admission in the campus. But the authority is no mood to change the decision as the campus has already collapsed the Dalit quota and provided it to the students of the merit list.

It has been a great injustice to her due to prejudiced mindset and discriminatory behaviors of the campus authority. We can conclude that how the so-called upper caste working at government bureaucrats are still creating structural barriers not to uplift Dalit situation in the country. Therefore, this is the high time to fight against such discriminatory attitude and behaviors towards Dalits. Otherwise Dalits will always be Dalits forever. It is not the case of single Dalit student. It reflects the plight of all Dalits who are still deprived to benefit from state facilities due such structural barriers. There is only one option to raise this case through case file in appeal court for getting justice and rights.

Therefore, all the organizations and leaders and rights activists working for Dalits rights are appealed to raise this issue strongly at national level with collective efforts to provide justice to the lady of Dalit community who has great potential and dedication to change the lives of Dalits serving from legal sectors.

Report by:
Shambhu Rasali

Dr. Pariyar appointed as the head of State Restructuring Commission

Kathmandu, December 07-

The government of Nepal through the decision of its cabinet held on Tuesday has appointed Dr. Madan P. Pariyar as the Coordinator of the State Restructuring Commission (SRC), which is the constitutional body of experts formed to advise the Constitutional Assembly with the best possible model of federalism and federal structure to be adopted for the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal. The government decision comes two days after the major political parties decided to nominate him as the head of eight-member SRC amid widespread criticism faced by the parties and government that there was not a single representation of people of Dalit community, despite they make a major portion of the population, in the powerful body.

Dalit communities are celebrating the appointment of Dr. Pariyar as a signal that Dalits can no longer be left behind in any state affairs. At the same time, his appointment has proved that Dalit communities have provided one of their highly competent performers for the top job. Gone are the days, when Dalits were to remain and excluded from the mainstream society under the traditional state of Nepal. The state must make adequate ways for inclusion of Dalits at all level of state governance as long as the exclusionary environment exists in the society as well as in the state structure, as it is rampant even today.

Dr. Madan Pariyar

Dr. Pariyar, originally an agricultural engineer is a recognized professional in the fields of environment and resource planning. He holds a PhD in resource planning and management from Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok, Thailand. He has a long track record of leadership in corporate management, development projects and information technology management in the country. He was the general manager of Birgunj Agricultural Tools Factory, a government company, during Panchayat era. During post-1990s’s multi-party democratic government, he served as the Managing Director of Udaypur Cement Factory, another government corporation, where he won the position through his management proposal in responsed to the government’s call in a national competition. He has served as the member-secretary of the High Level Commission for Information Technology. He also served in the National Poverty Alleviation Fund and many other development projects with his professional expertise. All these coveted career positions he has achieved were through his highly competent qualifications, performance and talents. Lately, he has been a member representing Dalits in the screening committee of Social Inclusion Research Fund (SIRF).

Dr. Pariyar has dual responsibilities to fulfill in this new appointment as the head of the SRC. He is primarily a representative of all Dalit communities and then, a high performing, highly capable leader in-charge of coordinating the high level of team of experts in various fields.

Dalits have been struggling for a high hope of being liberated from the all-round exploitation and exclusions in Nepal. Dr. Pariyar is now their voice for making themselves heard loud and be represented at the highest level mechanism charged with formulating a Dalit friendly federal system to be developed from the ongoing state restructuring process. Dr. Pariyar has now got a rare and perhaps the greatest opportunity for giving back his best to all segments of Dalit communities that they deserve to receive from him in their respective proportions to the population in the country. He has a duty to consult all segments of Dalit people, Dalit leaders, Dalit organizations, Dalit intellectual circles including Nepaldalitinfo network in order to gather their aspirations to put them together and translate them for the larger good of the people in the country and Dalit communities as a whole, in particular. His name will be written in golden letters in the history of Dalits, if he can define and establish Dalits’ well-deserved rightful position in the federal states.

Secondly, he is challenged with the tasks of commanding a leadership role, using his own high level resource planning expertise and strategic management skills for the SRC team to formulate a scientific, socio-economically tenable federal structure that is in the best interest of the Nepal for the long time to come.

The members of Nepaldalitinfo International Network wish him a successful tenure at the SRC, and offer its networking assistance, if need be, that may be helpful in carrying his responsibilities meaningfully as the head of SRC.

Moderator, Nepaldalitinfo International Network

RELATED NEWS:

Dr. Pariyar appointed head of State Restructuring Commission

Pariyar named SRC head

Major parties nominate Dr. Pariyar in the State Restructuring Commission

Kathmandu, December 04-The major three parties – UCPN (Maoist), CPN (UML) and NC – and UDMF on Sunday decided to nominate Dr. Madan Pariyar, a prominent Dalit intellectual and rights activists, in the recently formed State Restructuring Commission (SRC).

Pariyar has been nominated in the SRC amid widespread criticism faced by the parties and government that there is not a single representation of people of Dalit community, who make a major portion of the population, in the powerful body entrusted with the responsibility to come up with a best possible model for the democratic Federal system in the country.

The Cabinet will now have to formally appoint Dr. Pariyar in what will now be a nine-member commission. News source: www.nepalnews.com

Welcome !

Welcome to Nepaldalitinfo International site !

The Himalayan country Nepal has about 15% of her 27 million population still suffering from age-old socio-economic and political oppressions due to discrimination based on hierarchical Hindu caste system. The forms of these oppressions are manifold; “untouchability” is the most outrageous one, which is a grave crime against humanity. It is only recently that hardships and atrocities meted out to Dalits in the country have started to surface out. Due to the struggle put forward by Dalit movement of Nepal more effectively from the beginning the 21st century, a little attention has been apparently paid to the contemporary issues of Dalits. However, Dalits, as they still are excluded from the socio-economic and political mainstream in the country, are an entity very little known to the outside world.

This website aims to bring out the ground realities, contemporary issues and relevant information serving as a resource database relating to Nepalese Dalits in efforts of contributing to three steps in the path of Dalit liberty, “educate, get organized and struggle” as rightly laid down by Dalit messiah of India Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar.

For more, Goto: www.nepaldalitinfo.20m.com

Thank you

Nepaldalitinfo International Network