Dalits protest murder of fellow untouchable
by Kalpit Parajuli
A group of upper caste Hindus beat Manbir Sunar to death on 10 December. Protests are held in the capital and around the country. The country’s Maoist government is launching a national campaign against caste discrimination.
Kathmandu (AsiaNews) – Thousands of Nepali Dalits took to the streets in recent days, in Kathmandu and other locations, to protest the death of a fellow untouchable. Upper caste Hindus beat to death Manbir Sunar, 31, in Kalikot (western Nepal) on 10 December but police released the information only on 25 December to cover for the assassins.
Dalit leaders want Nepal’s Maoist government to compensate the victim’s family, arrest the culprits, declare Sunar the first untouchable martyr and guarantee an education and jobs for his three children.
To stop the protest, the government said it would pay the family the equivalent of US$ 13,000 as compensation.
Since Nepal became a secular state in 2006, the ruling Maoist government has banned discrimination based on the Hindu caste system. However, in many districts, this is often not respected.
Dalits are still denied the right to participate in religious life, go inside non-Dalit homes and eat with members of upper castes.
Sunar’s case has led the government to launch a campaign to eradicate caste practices and violence against Dalits.
Manbir Sunar was killed on his way to buy woollen clothes for his wife and children, who were huddled indoor because of the bitter cold.
When he stopped at a motel run by an upper caste Hindu, he tried to light a cigarette with a burning stove. As soon as he did this, he was thrown to the ground and beaten to death, his body left on the road.
A few days before Sunar’s murder, some upper caste Hindus in Tanahu District attacked two Dalits for allegedly drinking from a public fountain.
The police is still patrolling the area of the incident and is still looking for the culprits.
Dalit leaders want Nepal’s Maoist government to compensate the victim’s family, arrest the culprits, declare Sunar the first untouchable martyr and guarantee an education and jobs for his three children.
To stop the protest, the government said it would pay the family the equivalent of US$ 13,000 as compensation.
Since Nepal became a secular state in 2006, the ruling Maoist government has banned discrimination based on the Hindu caste system. However, in many districts, this is often not respected.
Dalits are still denied the right to participate in religious life, go inside non-Dalit homes and eat with members of upper castes.
Sunar’s case has led the government to launch a campaign to eradicate caste practices and violence against Dalits.
Manbir Sunar was killed on his way to buy woollen clothes for his wife and children, who were huddled indoor because of the bitter cold.
When he stopped at a motel run by an upper caste Hindu, he tried to light a cigarette with a burning stove. As soon as he did this, he was thrown to the ground and beaten to death, his body left on the road.
A few days before Sunar’s murder, some upper caste Hindus in Tanahu District attacked two Dalits for allegedly drinking from a public fountain.
The police is still patrolling the area of the incident and is still looking for the culprits.
.png)
See also
Dalits still victims of discrimination
26/10/2006
26/10/2006
