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| Durga Bahadur Bishwokarma |
Dalits in Nepal are prohibited from walking in front of upper caste people and need to make an alternate path behind them.
Hindu religion regards dalits as lower caste, or "untouchables." More or less the same situation prevails throughout much of the South Asian region. Durga Bahadur Bishwokarma, a 50-year old dalit, resides in the western region of Syanga. Until now, he has never walked in front of so-called "upper caste" people. Some other dalits have done so, much to their peril. Durga prefers to compromise, rather than retaliate.
In case an alternate route is not found, dalits need to wait for permission. In most cases, permission is granted with annoyance except during the morning when it is prohibited. Mornings are regarded as sacred. Talking to a dalit in the early morning is regarded as a religious disgrace. Sometimes in the past, Durga waited hours for permission to cross a distance of only 5 meters.
Hindu religion regards dalits as lower caste, or "untouchables." More or less the same situation prevails throughout much of the South Asian region. Durga Bahadur Bishwokarma, a 50-year old dalit, resides in the western region of Syanga. Until now, he has never walked in front of so-called "upper caste" people. Some other dalits have done so, much to their peril. Durga prefers to compromise, rather than retaliate.
In case an alternate route is not found, dalits need to wait for permission. In most cases, permission is granted with annoyance except during the morning when it is prohibited. Mornings are regarded as sacred. Talking to a dalit in the early morning is regarded as a religious disgrace. Sometimes in the past, Durga waited hours for permission to cross a distance of only 5 meters.
There are numerous governmental and non-governmental projects working to eliminate caste-based discrimination in Nepal, but none has ever reached Durga.
Poor alliances among dalit communities have given rise to such situations. There is some national legislation to cure this caste-based discrimination, but it has not been enforced. Untouchability is prohibited by law, but dalits in the countryside are punished for having touched an upper caste person. Government administrations rarely take action.
Durga's only son is accused of being involved in Maoist activities and has been jailed. Dalits make up most of the armed rebel youths. They are the greatest victims of the present conflict and are victimized both by the Maoists and the state.
The Government of Nepal has committed itself to take action against any sort of caste-based discrimination in its Human Rights Action Plan. At present, human rights activists are focused on hot topics of the mainstream conflict and have overlooked violations in the majority of the nation's settlements. Caste-based discrimination is a root cause in the perpetuation of Nepal's conflict.
source: http://english.ohmynews.com
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