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* FEDO Demands a maximum term for the murderer of Januka Nepali
Reading
a Press Release of Feministic Dalit Organization
(FEDO) on Januka Nepali’s murder case at Reporters
Club in
From
participants, Member of National Dalit Commission
Mohan Mijar has appealed to the government for making
a new law on citizenship rights based on the name of mother. He demanded for
the punishment of the murderer Banu Bishwakarma as much as the legal provision allows. On the
press interactions folliwing the press release, Gajadhar Sunar of DNF said that this
inhuman murder directly or indirectly creates threat to social and women
activists, and Sabin Shreshta,
FWLD has commented on legal loopholes in punishing the murderer. According to
him, the victim’s family could not get any compensation though the government
has seized the culprit property. He pointed out the need for amendment of legal
system. Rajkumar Trikhatri,
Dalit Team leader, Action Aid answered to the
Journalists’ some of the questions about this incident. Finally, FEDO President
Durga Sob called for solidarity from the government,
Human rights defenders, women rights defenders and journalists to create
pressure for sentencing maximum terms of punishment to the murderer Banu Bishwokarma, and to support
to the victim’s family for her children's education and survival. Report by
Sunil Basnet/FEDO [
Dignity Rally organized in
A large
Peoples’ Dignity Rally was organized in
Peoples'
Dignity rally began at
Many
buses with the thousands of people who were headed from various parts of the
country for attending the Dignity Rally were blocked by the security forces at Thankot Checkpoint. Despite this blockade, the conservative
estimate of number of people who did participate the
rally was 15,000.
World
Dignity Forum, Nepal National NGO Federation, Dalit
NGO Federation, GFANT, DWO and other organizations were involved in hosting the
Dignity Rally. [
* Three ministerial berths for Dalits-
a record in
Once
again Dalits of Nepal are surprised, but also are
perplexed by the King's action today. He has given three ministerial seats to Dalits in his Cabinet, which is a record in the history of
While
the whole world and political parties representing 95% population of Nepal are
demanding the King to relinquish the power that he is holding undemocratically
since February 1 this year, he seems to be determined not to give any heed to
their demand (Dec 07, 05).
Related
News:
King reshuffles cabinet (nepalnews.com)
King reshuffles cabinet (kantipuronline)
* Revamp of govt policies
stressed to address Dalit woes
Senior
political leaders today stressed the need to restructure the state to address
the issues of the Dalit communities. “Without
restructuring the state, no problem will be solved, whether it be of Dalits, Madhesis
or any other oppressed community,” said Hridayesh Tripathi, general secretary of the Nepal Sadbhawana Party (Anandi Devi). He was speaking at an interaction on “Position of Dalits in the inclusive democracy” organised
by the Dalit NGO Federation (DNF) in the capital
today. He added constituent assembly would be the only way out to all problems.
Navaraj Subedi, general secretary of the Janamorcha
Nepal, said the parliament too had ignored the proposal to bring a special Act
against caste-based discriminations. “Political parties too have dual attitude
on issues of caste discriminations,” he claimed. He added that it’s high time discussions were intensified to ensure
proportionate representation in the state structure.
Spokesperson
for Nepali Congress (Democratic) Dr Minendra Rijal said the notion that democracy needs no adjectives
has been proving wrong and the phrases like inclusive democracy have come in
wide use. He claimed that a proportionate system of election could integrate
various faces of the country as the traditional democracy could no longer
address the issues invited by the diverse composition of our society. He,
however, opposed the idea of federal system of governance,
which some of the leaders of indigenous people have been talking about.
“How can anyone prove that a federal system can address the issues of Dalits, Janajatis and women among
others?” He questioned.
Standing
committee member of the
Himalayan News Service (Lalitpur,
* Dalit movement for democracy
Nepal Dalit Liberation Organization has organized its first
National Dalit Convention in Chitwan
district recently, and has decided to fully participate in a strong movement
for democracy in
* The
The
Supreme Court (SC) on Monday issued a show cause notice to the government for
not enacting laws and regulations in connection to make the provisions for
reservation, a positive discrimination to women, Dalits
and indigenous communities.
A
single bench of justice Anup Raj
Sharma ordered the vice-chairmen of the Council of Ministers, Education
Minister and Law Minister to furnish written reply within 15 days as to why
they should not be punished for not respecting the 13 month old order relating
to rights of indigenous people and other marginalized people.
The
Court has issued the order in response to a ‘contempt of court case’ filed by
advocates Deepak Kumar Rai and Shree
Prasad Budhathoki on behalf of Human Rights of
Indigenous People Concern Center three months ago.
The
petitioner claimed that the government had not followed the order of SC, where
the Court had directed the government to make the provision for reservation by
making laws last year.
The
government had allocated 20, 15, and 10 percent reservation to women, Dalits and indigenous community respectively. The Court had
issued directives to the government to manage reservation by enacting laws in
response to the writ petitions filed against the government’s decision of
positive discrimination last year. nepalnews.com pb
* National Dalit Convention
commits for launching a movement for full-fledged democracy
Nepal Dalit Liberation Organization has organized its first
National Dalit Convention in Chitwan
district recently, and has decided to fully participate in a strong movement
for democracy in
* Dalits of Parbat
declare an untouchability free zone
Hundreds
of Dalits of Barah Chaur, Ranibas, Beulibas and Hubbas
villages of Parbat districts have declared having
abolished the practice of internal untouchability
existing traditionally among their communities. During the festive time of Dashain and Tihar, the villagers
have demarcated their villages as an untouchability-free
zone so as to break the traditional practice of untouchability
branding it as the remnant of feudalism. This news is featured in an article
that appeared in the Kantipur Daily on November 19. [Full text of the article in Nepali by Lal
Prasad Sharma]
* Writ against NGO Codes of Conduct
A writ
petition demanding the annulment of the Non-Governmental Organizations’ Code of
Conduct was filed at the
Ten
petitioners including Dalit leader Padam Lal Bishwakarma
and advocate Gopal Siwakoti
‘Chintan’ registered the writ seeking the apex court
order to nullify the code of conduct, claiming that it is against the
fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution, the International Covenant
on Civil and Political Rights and the independence of civil society
organizations.
The NGO
Code of Conduct recently introduced by the current autocratic regime has been
opposed by
*
India’s former President KR Narayanan has died at the aged
of 85, the
“Analysts say Mr Narayanan's rise to the presidential
office from the Dalit caste was seen by many as an
affirmation of India's democratic roots.”
“The caste system was banned in 1950 but centuries of tradition made it
difficult to break entrenched attitudes.” >>> More details on this story
* DALITS AT HIGH RISK OF TORTURE IN
NEPAL-
CHRGJ urges investigation by the U.N. Committee Against
Torture
(
* “Inside
“The rebels recruited a spectrum of disenfranchised Nepalis- women, ethnic minorities, Dalits
(untouchables), the unemployed, and underemployed youths- offering them hope
where there had been none”, says National Geographic Magazine in an artile by Ed Douglas with photographs by Jonas Bendiksen (November, 2005, pages 46-65).
Also featured with the article are the alarming statistical
figures of Nepal: Population, 27 million; Percent of Nepalis
who live below the national poverty line, 31; Rank of Nepal among poorest
nations in South Asia, 1st; Percent tourist numbers have dropped since 1998,
38; Nepalis killed by Maoists from 1996 to 2005,
4500; Nepalis killed by government in same period,
8200.
The highlights of print articles and other features in the
magazine can be found at: http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0511/feature3/index.html.
*
Dalits in International Crisis Group's
“Of the [Maoists’ United
Revolutionary People's Council] URPC 's 37 members, twenty are from ethnic and dalit communities, while there were eleven
members of ethnic and dalit communities
in the sixteen-member United People's Front, dissolved in 2000. There is also a
significant presence of ethnic, dalit
and Tarai leaders in the central committee. Whatever
the composition of the leadership, the fact that the Maoists have made an
apparently serious commitment to minority rights -- something neither the
palace nor the mainstream parties have ever been able to bring themselves to do
– means that they offer an alternative that many in such communities,
especially the radicalised and disillusioned youth,
find attractive.”
-- Nepal's
Maoists: Their Aims, Structure and Strategy, International Crisis Group’s Asia
Report N°104 (27 October 2005) in page 15.
Summary of the Crisis
Group's report:
Despite the Maoist rebels' brutality and violence, there can be no resolution
of
You can find the full report at: http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=3768&f=1
*
“Inside
“The rebels recruited a
spectrum of disenfranchised Nepalis- women, ethnic
minorities, Dalits (untouchables), the
unemployed, and underemployed youths- offering them hope where there had been
none”, says National Geographic Magazine in an artile
by Ed Douglas with photographs by Jonas Bendiksen
(November, 2005, pages 46-65).
Also featured with the
article are the alarming statistical figures of Nepal: Population, 27 million;
Percent of Nepalis who live below the national
poverty line, 31; Rank of Nepal among poorest nations in South Asia, 1st;
Percent tourist numbers have dropped since 1998, 38; Nepalis
killed by Maoists from 1996 to 2005, 4500; Nepalis
killed by government in same period, 8200.
The highlights of print
articles and other features in the magazine can be found at: http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0511/feature3/index.html
*
Dalits set for nationwide stir against takeover
The Joint Dalit Struggle Committee (JDSC) has decided to organise a nationwide movement against the
“unconstitutional and undemocratic” royal proclamation of February 1, restore
democracy and ensure protection of human rights in the country.
“The third extended meeting
of the committee held here yesterday has decided to stage a mass movement,”
said a release issued here by the committee. The extended meeting has decided
to go ahead in a united manner against the royal takeover with the conclusion
that the takeover has annulled people’s rights granted by the people’s movement
of 1990 and has blocked efforts to provide reservation to suppressed Dalit communities.
The JDSC has also decided
to join the ongoing movement of the seven-party alliance against autocracy and
to restore democracy in the nation.
As part of the movement, an
interaction will be organised within a week on the
role of the Dalit community in the movement for the
democracy and protest meets will be organised in
various parts of the nation.
The scenes of the protests
will be Dhangadhi of the farwestern
region on November 12, Nepalgunj of the mid-western
region on November 14, Pokhara of the western region
on November 24. Birgunj of the mid-region on December 1 and Birtamode
of the eastern region on December 23.
According to Padma Lal Biswokarma,
president of the Society for the Liberation of Oppressed Dalit
Castes Nepal, the meeting has decided to fight for restructuring the state to
provide equality, social justice and proportionate participation of Dalit community in all sectors of the country. Besides, the
meeting has also demanded the government annul all ordinances and declarations
made by the present ‘unconstitutional’ government, including the one on media.
At present, the committee
members include Padma Lal Biswokarma, Jitu Gautam, Min Biswokarma, Rajan Biswokarma, Kesh Man Shreepaili and Aahuti. Biswokarma said the next
gathering of the committee will extend and restructure it. “No Dalit organisation now supports
the monarch,” he claimed, adding that all the national level Dalit organisations have signalled solidarity for their movement.
A joint gathering of all Dalit organisations had formed
JDSC right after the royal takeover on
Source: Himalayan
News Service, Kathmandu, October 23, 2005.
Related News (published
later):
Dalitharu Andolanma [Dalits in Revolution, in Nepali, The Kantipur
Kathmandu, October 31, 2005.
*
JUP
Jana Utthan Parishad (JUP-Nepal) has released a press statement
opposing the Government’s attack on Kantipur FM last
Friday. The statement jointly released by its President Man Bahadur
BK and General Secretary Yam Bahadur Kisan reads as, “We vehemently denounce and oppose the
looting and interference of Kantipur FM carried out
on October 21 by the State through the use of its armed security forces against
the spirit of the Constitution of Nepal Kingdom 1990, assaulting nakedly on the
peoples’ right to information and freedom of expression. We appeal with the
State not to interfere with the peoples’ right to information, to respect and
follow the rule of law, and not to undermine the power of people and the
media.”
*
Discriminatory Dairy Depot
A newly-established dairy
depot in the Baitadi district headquarters has
stopped buying milk from dalit farmers due to
objections from some 'high-caste' customers. The latter refused to purchase
milk-made products of the dairy, accusing them of using milk sold by 'low
caste' communities. News Source: Kantipur
Publications’ Baitadi correspondent in Kathmandu Post (
Related arcticle
(in Nepali): Dugdha Sahakari Ra Jatiya Bhedbhav
*
A common feast during Dashain festival
Locals from Barrachaur and Ranipani VDCs in Parbat district organized
a common feast during Dashain festival with a view to
remove racial discrimination. A joint gathering of VDCs,
which was organized by Dalit Jana Samaj,
Self Dependent Development Forum, Deepsikha Youth
Club and Navabihani Dalit
Women Network, declared the villages a racial discrimination free zone.
News Source: Kantipur Publications’ Saptari correspondent in Kathmandu
Post (
*
Isolated dalits turn to
After the blockade imposed
by locals of Sakarpura
Accusing the dalits of not playing drums during the Dashain
festival and refusing to clean carcasses, some 'high caste' locals warned
villagers not to provide anything to the dalits. The
former also directed locals not to buy anything from the dalits
and boycott them in every activity.
After being isolated in
their own hometown, the community has started to sell milk at Kunali, an Indian village, while they have to reach another
Indian market Topa bazaar, to buy essential
commodities.
"Local shopkeepers do
not sell us even a packet of salt," acting Chairman of Dalit
Service Association Saptari Jaksan
Ram said. Those who violate the instruction are made to pay a fine of Rs 551. "We cannot sell anything to them due to the
fine system," said local merchant, Lalit Mandal.
The district administration
has corresponded with the police to bring nine persons including former
News Source: Kantipur Publications’ Saptari correspondent in Kathmandu
Post (
*
Blockade imposed on Dalit village
Some upper caste locals of Sarakpura
According to Dhukhi ram, one of the victims, last year they had decided
not to play the drum at the local fete held in Taradevi
temple during Dashain, and also not to remove
carcasses from the village. “Even our relatives shy away from us if we perform
such jobs," according to him, they were compelled last year to play the
drum but refused to throw away carcasses.
"And they (upper caste
people) themselves threw the carcasses from the area since last year after the Charmars refused to do it ," said Raj
Kumar Mandal, Chairman of Dalit
Sudhar Sangh, an
organization working for the welfare of oppressed Dalits
in the area. Source:
*
Dalit Freedom Network Hosts Historic Conference on
Capitol Hill: Conference and House Hearing Mark a New Awareness of Caste
Atrocities in India [Click here]
*
Talks possible with present govt: Maoist leader [Click here]
*
DalitWatch During Summer
Months of 2005 [Click here
for a random collection by Laurie Vasily]
*
Financial aid for deserving Dalit students on cards
Deserving students from
backward communities and women may get loans and financial aid from the
government to pursue studies from grade 11 to the Masters level. With the
objective of providing loans and financial aid to deserving Dalit
students and women, the University Grants Commission (UGC) is preparing a draft
on the issue. The Ministry of Education and Sports has already given a verbal
nod to our scheme, said the UGC chairman, Professor Dr Bidur
Prasad Upadhyaya. The draft is awaiting a formal
approval from the Education ministry. More on this story [Renu Kshetry in Himalayan Times, Kathmandu,
September 1, 2005].
*
‘Land bank’ to empower Dalits
Deputy Governor of the
Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB), Lekh
Nath Bhusal, said today
that the government has proposed land bank policy to minimise
poverty. Speaking at a workshop titled ‘Increasing Dalit
Recruitment’ organised by the Dalit
Welfare Organisation (DWO), he said the proposed land
bank — a project to distribute land to the poor — would have a solid and
concrete policy to empower economically disadvantaged communities, including
the Dalits. For more on this story: >>>
Himalayan News Service [Kathmandu, August 4, 2005]
*
Three categories of human rights situation in
Chief of the Office of the
High Commissioner for Human Rights in Nepal, Ian Martin, said that human rights
situation in Nepal should be looked under three categories: violations of human
rights and international humanitarian laws relating to conflict; human rights
situation after February 1; and long standing human rights issues such as discrimination
on grounds of social and economic backgrounds. >>>
More on this news.
*
Badi women turn to other professions
Some 15 Badi
women in the Ghorahi area and 26 in Tulsipur area in Dang district have taken up calling like
vegetable and fruit cultivation, goat keeping and pig rearing, according to
According to Nepali, 15 out
of 50 women associated with the Badi Women Creative
Group Dang and 75 women associated with the Dalit
Women Unity Center Tulsipur have been living
independent lives. Some 200 women from Srigaon, Leltar, Tulsipur, Bagar and Pakaiya have given up
the flesh trade and taken to new kinds of work, said Dalit
Women Unity Center Tulsipur chairman Nirmala Gupta. Badi Women
Creative Group member Shanta Nepali said Dadi women have reformed a hundred percent but society
itself has not reformed, adding that Dang district should be declared as a
district free of the flesh trade.
*
Golchhe Sarki is Assistant
Minister
Mr. Golchhe
Sarki, a well known political figure from Dalit Commuunity has been
inducted as Assistant Minister for Labour and Transport
Management into the current Council of Ministers under the Chairmanship of King
Gyanendra in a Cabinet reshuffle today. [For more on this news >>>
The Kantipur Online, July 14, 2005]. Mr. Sarki's ministrial appointment
adds yet another welcome point towards including Dalits
in high places of governance in any regime; however, the democratic rule by a
government duly elected by the vast masses of people will be the only ultimate
way out for the country.
*
A Dalit Community getting organized to fight against
caste discrimination
A group of dalits belonging to Dom Mestar
caste in Siraha district are getting organized
themselves to fight against the caste based discrimination and untouchability. About 70 members of the community are
determined to open an association of their own to address various problems and
hardships they are facing in their every day life. Many of the dalit parents are denied certificates of their citizenship,
causing difficulty in their childrens' admission to
schools. They are facing the problem of caste discrimination among dalits castes as well. There are also various forms of
unjustified sanctions imposed on them by so called upper castes. >>>More
on this story in The Kantipur Online [July 10, 2005].
*
Education Ministry’s intensive plans to begin from July 16
The Ministry of Education
and Sports (MoES) of
*
Dalit thrashed for using public tap
Dal Bahadur
BK, a dalit peasant of Durgamod
*
Term of two Dalit MPs in the Upper House ending today
The term of two Dalit Honorable Members of Parliament Lal
Bahadur BK (UML) and Rishi Babu Pariyar (Royal nominee) in
the National Assembly (Upper House) of
*
Water tap incidents rife- These are real cases of
human rights violations
[Nepaldalitinfo’s
note: In the Sarlahi case reported below, the
police station merely sending letters to what is now a defunct
Renu Bishwakarma
becomes another victim of tap water untouchability.
The incident happened on 9th of May 2005 early
Renu couldn’t bear the torture meted out
to her, and approached Downtrodden Upliftment Society
(DUS) of Hariwan, Sarlahi,
which is a member organization of DNF for help to get justice. DUS informed the
local police to charge Shila Devi.
Police Station forwarded two letters to the
Again in the 26th May and
2nd June the same incident repeated. This time there was one more lady named Yonjanni along with Shila Devi. So, this practice seemed to increase day to day.
DUS in the association of
DNF and other Human Rights Organization arranged a peace rally in the 11th of
June in the same village. But the so called high caste people of same village
interrupted the rally and started hitting the participants of the peace rally
with sticks and bamboos. As a result of which 17 year old Uttam
Pariyar, one of the participants, was badly injured.
In the
DNF to support this
movement has visited National Human Rights Commission & National Dalit Commission, today on the 14th June, to inform the
incident and ask for necessary actions. DNF is also planning to meet Ministry
of Home tomorrow to take necessary action on this incident.
The practice of untouchability and increasing abuse upon Dalits in public water taps must stop! All the concerned
organizations and individuals should get organized with a common voice should
get organized to combat the social evils of this practice. Report by Pratik Pande [
*
Dalits Used by Rebels In
Brutal War
“… the
Maoists often focus their recruitment efforts on "[dalits],"
who by some estimates account for nearly a fifth of
Full
Story in washington.com [Washington Post Foreign Service; Tuesday, June 14,
2005; Page A18]
Note: nepaldalitinfo
urges the newsmedia of the world to use politically
correct word “dalits” and discourage promoting the
word “untouchables” in signifying the one-fifth of the Nepali population which
are victimized as untouchables for centuries, when reporting such a news.
*
Deuba's party expels ex-minister Pariyar
for praising king
Nepali Congress
(Democratic) party (NCD) has expelled Hari Shankar Pariyar, a senior member
of the party and former assistant minister for supporting King Gyanendra. He was inducted, apparently to represent Dalit community, into the erstwhile Council of Ministers
headed by the then Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba ousted by 2/1 royal
takeover. [
Related
News
*
The Government of Japan has
agreed to provide a counterpart fund of Rs 50 million
under the Non-Project Grant Aid for implementing the Project of Dalit Scholarship for Primary School Children in 38
disadvantaged districts of the
*
International Consultation on Caste-Based Discrimination- Video documentary
broadcast in
A video documentary report
of International
Consultation on Caste-Based Discrimination was aired in Nepali language by
Nepal Television on 1st of June 2005 at
*
The issue of Dalit representation features in
In an exclusive interview
broadcast by
*
"Dinning together" rehearsal to remove untouchability
A "Dinning
Together" program was organized at
On the occasion of the
program, some 13 couples married inter-caste have also been recognized and
felicitated. The
details [in Nepali, The Kantipur, May 28, 2004]
*
Continuing Dalit atrocity must be condemned
A 17 years old girl of Bishwakarma Caste has been physically assaulted by members
of a so called upper caste family of her neighbourhood
in Lekhanath Municipality of Kaski
district. She was seriously injured making her unconscious. One of the key
family members who assaulted her is no other than Hemant
Shahi, who was the elected Chief of a Ward Committee
of a now dissolved
Related
News
It is another ridiculously
outrageous case that the victim was accused of having touched the water pot of
the so called higher caste neighbours while she was
herself filling the water from the common water tap. It is reported that police
and human rights activists have been informed of the incident. More on
this story [The Kantipur daily]
(Report by: Rupesh Silwal
based on the news report by Prem Nepali.)
The nepaldalitinfo
adds:
The incidents of atrocities on Dalits such as the one
that happened in Lekhnath could easily be
overshadowed by other problems such as general lack of freedom of expression
and human rights in the country. Those concerned with Dalit
rights need to be watchful of such continuing incidents and condemn them, and
the culprits should be brought to justice. The nepaldalitinfo
had predicted a setback in gaining the momentum of Dalit
rights in
*
Maoists open fire at passenger bus, abduct dalits,
reports nepalnews.com (
……… Maoists, Monday,
abducted five innocent dalits from Belkot of Nuwakot district. The
whereabouts of the abductees and reasons behind the abductions are not known…..
>>>[Details on
this Story.]
*
Dalit NGO Federation (DNF) Submits Reservation
Modality to
A delegation team of Dalit NGO Federation (DNF) submitted, on
*
Political parties’ consensus on resolving the current crisis in
Seven political parties
representing 90 % elected seats in the dissolved Lower House of the Parliament
have agreed on a consensus commitment to resolve the current political crisis
in
BBC
Nepali Service reports:
“The parties have also indicated the needs for having provisions of referendum
on issues of national importance, a system of [national] army being responsible
to the democratically elected government, reservation, proportional
development and representation” in place. [
*
Maoists
accept responsibility for Pokhrel's killing
(Nepalnews.com)
The Maoist-affiliated Dalit Mukti Morcha
(Dalit Liberation Front) has owned up responsibility
for the killing of 47-year-old top Hindu priest, Pundit Narayan
Prasad Pokhrel, reports nepalnews.com on
The online news update
further reports:
“
“Pokhrel
used to openly invite members of dalit community in
religious ceremonies and encourage their equal participation in religious
rites…..
“Major political parties,
rights groups and Hindu organisations have condemned
the killing of Pokhrel and have asked the government
to bring the culprit to book….
More on
this story
*
Dalit leaders released
MP Lalbahadur
Bishwakarma who was under custody of the security
agencies, and was undergoing treatment at the Teaching Hospital in
Meanwhile, another Dalit leader Jitu Gautam, who was also detained by the security agencies for
protesting against 2/1 royal takeover, was released more than a week ago, and
he is said to be doing well. (Report by Hira Vishawakarma,
Laurie Vasily
adds:
It is not immediately clear what happened to three Dalit
activists, Rohit Hingmang (Pariyar), Pahal Man Shiva (Pariyar) and a person named Tirtha,
who were reportedly arrested earlier by the police during a demonstration
against the royal takeover, organized by the Dalit Mukti Sangathan. A prominent Dalit intellectual and leader Ranendra
Barali was also arrested in Chitwan
from a protest against the royal takeover.
*
Parliamentarian Lal Bahadur
Bishwakarma ill in custody
Lal Bahadur Bishwakarma, a sitting member of the upper house [National
Assembly] is reported to be ill in police custody, says Web Chautari [April 26, 2005 ].
Parliamentarian Bishwakarma, who is a prominent
national leader of
*
The Supreme Court orders for a new concrete law against untouchability
The Supreme Court has
ordered on 8th of Baisakh 2062 (
The landmark verdict was
given by the full bench including the Judges Min Bahadur
Rayamajhi and Khil Raj Regmi. Senior Advocate Daman Nath Dhungana, Advocate Ratna Bahadur Bagchand,
Advocate Narayan
Nepaldalitinfo
adds:
The apex court’s verdict is a highly welcome and timely step forward, which
should lead to the path towards eventually fulfilling one of the key demands of
Dalits that states as follows:
"Legislate a comprehensive and compelling law to
forbid all forms of caste discrimination and untouchability,
removing flaws and ambiguity from the existing laws. Put in action the severe
punitive measures against atrocities committed to Dalits,
but not merely showing in the paperwork."
*
Mohanpur Brahmins dump untouchability
Locals of Mohanpur in Saptari district are
reported to have announced recently their village to be free of untouchability. "The locals carried the dead body of
one dalit [person], Ram Bahadur
Pariyar, and took part in his funeral procession and
last rites", says a news report
by Kantipuronline. This was an evidence to happen
against the age-old tradition, demonstrating that religious and social
traditions were not hard binding to willing people, while the hardliner
statutory provisions in the history of
*
UN Human Rights Commission’s
The United Nations Commission
on Human Rights unanimously adopted the
Also, the UN Commission
resolution urges the Government to implement the recent recommendations of
the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination made in
March 2004.
Excerpts from the adopted
resolution:
"The Commission on Human Rights,
Recalling that
“...
OP 12 - Welcomes the efforts of His Majesty’s Government to comply with the
obligation to submit periodic reports to the respective treaty bodies, in
particular under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and
urges the Government to implement their recommendations, particularly the
recent recommendations of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination against Women of January 2004 and of the Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination of March 2004,
..”
Full text of
Technical cooperation and advisory services in Nepal – Item 19: Commission
on Human Rights Resolution: 2005 (Source:www.webchautari.com).
Related link (Source: insn.org).
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Photos
provide rare look into caste system in rural Nepal- by Matt Whorf [Thursday,
April 14, 2005]
Eva Kassell,
a
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The King's Regime Appoints a Dalit as Zonal
Administrator
One of the key demands of Dalit movement in
The current regime headed
by the King is considered to be autocratic, and the current appointment of
Zonal Administrators reminds everyone of infamous Anchaladhis
(Zonal commissioners) of Panchayat era dark days.
However, if one recalls the events in the history, there are some remarkable
things happened for Dalits lately under direct rule
of the King. It is a widely acknowledged fact that the problems and issues of Dalits surfaced with genuine concerns greatly during the
democratic regimes following popular movement of 1990, but no Government until
2002 October Royal takeover could dare appointing a single Dalit
person in the Council of Ministers nor in any other significant political
public appointments. The tradition of neglecting Dalits
was broken by the King when he appointed Mr. Prakash Chitrakar Pariyar as the
Assistant Minister for Land Reform. This was followed by the subsequent
nominated government of Sher Bahadur
Deuba, which appointed two Assistant Ministers from Dalit community, Mr. Harishankar Pariyar and Lalbahadur Vishwakarma.
The current regime has
appointed 6 regional administrators and 14 zonal administrators (pretty much
like Anchaladhis of Panchayat
era). Among 14 zonal administrators appointed, one is Mr. Uttar Tamta, a young Dalit leader from
a remote district of Darchula. Mr. Tamta currently heads a national Dalit
organization called Nepal Rastriya Dalit Samaj Kalyan
Sangh, which has its branches in 68 districts of
It is also hoped that
further appointments of Dalits in high public
positions such as in constitutional bodies, diplomatic missions, judiciaries,
military and civil services will be followed from this point forward by all
forms of governments ruling the country in the days to come.
However, the Nepalese
Government’s genuine resolve for liberating Dalits
from the centuries of State sponsored inhuman caste discrimination will be seen
as realized only when the State, through a royal decree or a parliamentary bill
passed, expresses an explicit apology for the historical injustices caused by
the State on the occupational caste people, and makes appropriate provisions to
compensate them.[April 13, 2005]
Also at this link as:
Dalit
Representation & King's Appointment
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THE TIMES
OF INDIA INTERVIEW (unnamed): Himalayan Blunder [SUNDAY, APRIL 10, 2005]
……
Will you make common cause with the Maoists and if so whom will you speak
to?
The problem is that they believe in violent means and we do not. There can be
no militaristic solution. There is no consensus among the Maoists themselves. I
hear from time to time that they have severe differences among themselves. But
I guess when the time comes they will send the right man. They want
power-sharing, we are not averse to that but without violence. There are many
genuine problems in
…….
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Ensure that needs of specific groups such as Dalits,
women and children [are addressed], states Arjun Karki.
Arjun Karki Statement at UNCHR
61st Session - Wednesday, March 30, 2005 at 13:31
Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), Bangkok,
Thailand
United Nations Commission on Human Rights 61st Session, 14March – 22 April,
2005
Agenda Item 9: Question of the violation of human rights and fundamental
freedoms in any part of the world.
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Nepali dalit rights activist meets Indian dalit leaders and intellectuals, reports
Nepal Democracy Alliance,
>>Related
Document
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Prof. Man Bahadur Vishwakarma
Released
Prof. Man Bahadur Vishwakarma has been
released along with a few other activists of democracy as per the release order
of the Supreme Court following a writ petition filed against the state by
renowned lawyer Harihar Dahal.
He was arrested on the charges of agitating against the state, was later issued
an order of his detention for three months, and was kept in custody for 42 days
until yesterday when he got back home.
On democracy day, the 7th
of Falgun (February 18), Prof. Vishwakarma
along with other peaceful demonstrators demanding the restoration of multiparty
democracy in the country was arrested, and put into a kind of jail at Nepal
Electricity Authority’s Training facility turned into a detention center.
By the 2/1 Royal takeover,
many articles of the present Constitution relating to fundamental rights to
organization and expression of views have been suspended. As a result, many
political activists in
In the last two weeks, another
Dalit leader and former member of National Dalit Commission Mr Jitu Gautam has also been
arrested, and put into the same custody as Prof. Vishwakarma.
According to Vishwakarma, there were 95 political detainees with him in
the beginning. Although they were released one after another, there are still
64 people waiting for their release. They were not allowed to read any
newspaper in the beginning, but later on, they were provided with the state
owned media publications such as The Gorkhapatra and
The Rising Nepal. Only close relatives of the detainees were allowed to visit,
and through them they managed to obtain other newspapers which they were able
to share with each other. They even managed to get hold of a radio set, and
they were able to listen to
The best part of the
detainment was that the inmates came from all the agitating political parties
such as UML, NC Girija, NC Democratic, Majdur Kisan Party, they were all
united; all shared the same view on democracy and did not have any conflict,
rather they were sharing their personal belongingness, Vishwakarma
further added. He treasures the whole experience, and feels that such a great
sense of unity and belongingness is very important in all movements,
particularly among Dalits fighting for the common
cause. After his 42 day ordeal, Prof. Vishwakarma is
even more determined to fight for restoring multiparty democracy in the
country, and will soon resume the activity. [Report received from
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Vigilante group kills Ram Kishore Chamar
Ram Kishore
Chamar, 40, a member of Dalit
community of Somani
The group took Chamar in control charging him of protesting and not
supporting the committee. The group mutilated his right hand, made him eat his
own chopped hand after burning and shot him dead little away from his house.
Source: A story by Narayan
Parajuli, INSEC-Online, March 30, 2005.
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Prominent Dalit leader Lal Bahadur Bishwakarma arrested
... Police reportedly
arrested more than 750 political activists across the country for staging
peaceful demonstrations demanding restoration of peace and democracy in the
country. 19 demonstrators including five former Upper House members were
arrested in Kathmandu, including Akkal
Bahadur Bishta of NC-D, Bir Bahadur Singh of
Source: Pakistani
spanner into the Nepal Crisis: A briefing paper from Asian Centre for Human
Rights, New Delhi, India, 17 March 2005
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Update on Prof. Man Bahadur Vishwakarma
Prof. Man Bahadur Vishwakarma is still in
custody amid very tight security at the premises of NEA training centre
situated at Kharipati Bhaktapur,
as his wife is reported as saying over a telephone conversation. Only close
relatives are allowed to visit him after much interrogation and one at a time.
He has now grown big beard with his thin body.
Along with other fighters
for democracy who were arrested in the aftermath of 2/1 Royal takeover, Prof. Vishwakarma is kept in a very tight custody, and now they
all have been issued arrest papers alleging them to disturb the public places
with an intention of going against the state. A case at the Supreme Court is
also going on, and no one knows when they will be released. Though physically
not tortured, these political prisoners are not allowed to access newspapers
and other source of information other than state published newspapers, and are
having difficulties in spending their time in the custody.(March 23, 2005)
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40th International Day for Elimination of Racial Discrimination Roundabout:
”Caste system should be abolished once and for all”, says Swami Prapannacharya
The 40th International Day
for Elimination of Racial Discrimination was observed much like a serious day
of national engagement in
In
Over a function organized
on the occasion in
In a workshop on the topic
“sex and social discrimination- an introduction” organized on the occasion,
local development minister Khadga Bahadur
GC revealed that the government is working on formulation of programmes to bring women, dalits
and aboriginal nationalities into national mainstream.
[Full story in Nepali]
In a separate function
organized on the occasion by UNESCO Commission, former ambassador Dr Mohan
Prasad Lohani said that no sane mind or civilized
person could accept and tolerate discrimination between human beings on grounds
of race, colour and ethnic origin. He also urged the
Nepalese youth to resist any attempt to encourage discrimination or create
rifts in the society which is multi-ethnic, multi-lingual and multi-religious.
He stressed the need of educational reforms right from the school level,
although it sounded like his hypocritical mindset when he was reported as
saying that even in the schools and colleges, it is sometimes difficult for a
teacher to avoid the issue of discrimination. [Full
story]
A Dalit
intellectual Hira Bishwakarma
addressing a function indicated that this International Day has been made
largely a domain of Dalits alone; however, aboriginal
nationalities are too progressively realizing the importance of this day.
In Mid-western district of
Dang, a local function of 40th International Day for Elimination of Racial
Discrimination was organized by Nepal Dalit Womens’ Association. “Education is the key to end caste
discrimination”, said Narayan Kumar Acharya, Rector of Mahendra
Sanskrit University, addressing the function. For more on
this story (in Nepali).
Clearly, some of the
prominent personalities like Swami Prapannacharya and
Mod Nath Prashrit were
expressing their views right from their hearts. However, it has to be seen how
the Government’s promise on the substantive programme
for Dalits will be forthcoming in near future, as the
authorities’ lip services in such an international day had been very attractive
in the past (even during Panchayat era), but were
never realized. Furthermore, it is an irony that Rector Acharya
pointed out the key role of education to end caste discrimination, but the
Sanskrit University, of which he is a responsible high official, has not yet
opened its door to Dalits for education, nor there
has been any efforts made by the University to alleviate the rampant ill
effects of caste discrimination in the society.
Other related media
coverage:
Govt urged to ensure janajatis’
rights
Every
Nepali should receive equal respect (in Nepali)
Demand
for equality (in Nepali)
Programmes for Dalit
Nationalities and Women in the offing (in Nepali)
[Report by DPR,
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Pokhara society honors an inter-caste marriage
An inter-caste married
couple and their families encouraging them for marriage have been felicitated
over a social function organized in Pokhara city
recently. “One has to be good, no one is high or low by caste”, says Harish Chandra Gurung overwhelmed
by his felicitation for allowing his daughter Anukala
to marry her lover Krishna Kumar Nepali seven years ago. For full story
reported in The Kantipur (Nepali National Daily,
*
Eleven Dalits
households in Ramechhap Sukajaur
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Victim of casteist husband now a disabled
Anita, a resident of
Call for international support for immediate release of all fighters of
democracy in
Professor Man Bahadur Vishwakarma, a supporter
of democracy and a champion of Dalit rights in
Prof. Vishwakarma
is now under the custody of security personnel at Kharipati
in the premise of Nepal Electricity Authority Training complex. After five days
of arrest, only his immediate family member was allowed to visit him, and now
it is learnt that a slip to keep him under custody without any charge at least
for the next 3 months has been issued.
Prof. Man Bahadur Vishwakarma born 55 years
ago in Arghakhanchi district, a western district in
rural
Upon the restoration of
multiparty democracy in
He is now President of
Nepal Dalit Sangh, a sister
organization of Nepal Congress for Dalit community.
With regard to his contribution to Dalit rights, he
has played a significant role to have in place a quota system of scholarships
for Dalits to study medicine and engineering under
Ministry of Education, and also in brining out a national strategy for Dalit upliftment under 9th and
10th Five Year Plan of the government. He has served as Vice President of Dalit Bikas Samity
(Committee for Dalit Development) under Ministry of
Local Development.
Despite his economic
hardship upon leaving behind his academic profession, Prof. Vishwakarma
has dedicated himself to the cause of the democracy and Dalit
rights in
Clearly, without democracy
and human rights in a country like
(Posted on
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Frontline (
(Volume 22 - Issue 04,
NEPAL: A
Dalit backlash
URL:
http://www.flonnet.com/fl2204/stories/20050225006213400.htm
ANIKET ALAM writes about the current status of Dalits
in
In more than a decade of
democracy, there has been only one Dalit elected to
Parliament in
A recent survey by the
International Labour Organisation
(ILO) in
The Maoists are the only
ones who have addressed Dalit's problems as a
political issue. "This is the reason for their popularity in rural areas,
especially among Dalits and other oppressed
castes," he adds. The Maoists have banned untouchability
and other humiliating social practices, have punished those who insulted Dalits and, for the first time, given land to Dalits, he said. ...
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Govt’s 21-pt action plan to end social exclusion
The
Rising Nepal News Top Story, Kathmandu - February 19,
2005
……… The 21-point action
plan, recently unveiled by the government, has adopted an integrated
development approach aimed at addressing social exclusion, said Dr. Shree Govind Shah, a noted
development expert, talking to The Rising Nepal.
………….The successive
governments in the past could not introduce inclusive and participatory
development agenda to address the Far-West and Mid-West Regions. They also
awfully failed to incorporate the concerns of dalits
(disadvantaged lot), different ethnic groups, and people from the Terai region that comprise about 45 per cent and 31 per
cent of the total population respectively. “The excluded geographical areas
must be focused.” He said that development schemes needed to tap indigenous
knowledge and local resources to bolster the development process.
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Nepal marks Democracy Day; Govt. cuts phone lines
The
Hindu (India, Friday, February 18, 2005) Top Stories
………….Man Bahadur Bishwokarma, President of
Nepal Dalit Association affiliated to the
Nepali Congress, was among those arrested today………
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The Success Story of Dalit Women’s Craftwork
The household items made by
Dalit women with their skillfull
craftwork from bamboos and canes are gaining popularity in the market and
proving to be profitable for themselves in a few Terai
districts of Nepal. The dalits, hardworking as they
always are, have been the backbone of the rural economy of Nepal from the time
immemorial, which is a fact that was always taken for granted and never got any
attention from the government or the people in the country. Please click here
for a success story of Dalit women from Janakpur: >>> The Kantipur News (Nepali)
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Excesses and Violence against Dalits Continue on…
Non-dalit
people have their ways to commit excesses of caste discrimination on dalits in many hill districts of
If a dalit
drinks a cup of tea with the milk from a buffalo belonging to non-dalit homestead, buffalo cow’s mammary glands will go sore
and the blood will flow out from her teats even if the dalit
person would not have seen the buffalo. This is an outrageous but very common
reason in many hill districts for many non-dalit
households not to sell or give away milk outside their close family circle.
This is one thing that any responsible and functioning government can change
without much difficulty through both regulatory provision and extension
education. For a true story of a related incident reported from far-western
district (in Nepali press), please click here >>> The Kantipur News (Nepali)
If any member of a dalit family does something wrong in a village in
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Discrimination against Dalits in
Human Rights Watch has
received information about human rights abuses against Dalits
in virtually every sphere of life in
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Protection of human rights a major challenge: NHRC [Source: nepalnews.com;
Chairman of National Human
Rights Commission (NHRC), Nayan Bahadur
Khatri inaugurating the Commission’s office in the
eastern region in Biratnagar Tuesday, has said,
“protecting human rights has emerged as a major challenge in the country”.....
Khatri further said, “Maoist activities
including placing bombs at public thoroughfares, abducting hundreds of
students, forcing civilians to dig trenches, among others, have done nothing
but create chaos and terror among the public”. He also drew attention of
security forces towards activities like rape, extortion and incidences of
burning down houses of people belonging to dalit
community.”....
For more on this story:
>>> http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2005/feb/feb09/news01.php
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Political whispers on quiet streets [Source: Sunday Express (Indian Express);
As reports from
“The ambassadors of
“Coordinating with each
other, the ambassadors met a Dalit leader who was a minister in the
dismissed Deuba government. They conveyed their
support to the regular political process. In fact, the diplomatic community is
working on plans where the ambassadors will go to the houses of the detained
leaders, to inquire about their well-being and express solidarity. “
For more on this story:
>>> http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=64114
DalitWatch in 2004 prior to 2/1 Royal Takeover:
Nepal Government Appoints National Dalit
Commission Officials
Maoists penalize a pundit (village priest) for promoting untouchability
Dalit Tsunami Disaster Victims Discriminated in India- AFP Reports
