A 24-year-old Dalit woman, Shobha Harijan, a resident of Suddhodhan Rural Municipality-1, Bhagalapur has been brutally beaten by six persons( 3 local men and 3 local women) over a land-related dispute on October 2. This has affected her very sensitive body parts; limbs, hands and head.

The group resorted to a physical attack on Shobha and hurled caste-based discriminatory slurs on her when her family started constructing a small hut on the land they had owned since 1960 A.D. The victim’s side had filed a petition at the Area Police Office, Ranyaura on October 3 against the attack and are filing an FIR against them at the Butwal Area Police Office today, October 9.

Article 24 of the Constitution of Nepal 2015 A.D. has made the right against untouchability and discrimination a fundamental right and caste discrimination and untouchability a criminal offence. It is mentioned that no person shall be subjected to any form of untouchability or discrimination in any private or public place on the basis of his / her origin, caste, community, profession or physical condition. Such behaviour would get imprisonment for three months to three years or a fine of Rs 1,000 to Rs 25,000 or both.

Even though untouchability has been banned but due to non-implementation of the law, more Dalits and marginalized communities are still falling prey to untouchability and discrimination and Dalit girls and women have become more insecure.