Dalits still victims of discrimination
Birganj (AsiaNews) Dalits are still victims of discrimination in Nepal despite the fact that the country is no longer a Hindu kingdom but a secular state. In an eastern district they are still not allowed in restaurants and hotels without their own dishes, glasses and cutlery because owners prefer to please their upper caste clients, this according to both Dalit and upper class witnesses.
"We have to carry our own cups for tea, glasses for water and plates for snacks and meals despite money in our pockets because no restaurant owners would allow us to use their utensils to drink and eat anything," Bhagwat Ram, from Udaypur district, told AsiaNews.
This kind of discrimination, which is against the law, continues openly not only in rural areas but also in cities like Gaighat.
"We are virtually treated as dogs by the upper caste Hindus. This simply makes a mockery of the parliament's act of abolishing 'untouchability', Mr Ram lamented.
Naresh Koiri, an educated upper caste Hindu, explained that "many educated upper caste Hindus are opposed to such discrimination against Dalits. But the tragedy is that they do so only in private.
Upendra Sahu, an upper caste restaurant owner in the Udaypur, admitted that he, too, engaged in the practice. "It is our deep-rooted tradition and we can't go against it. If our high-caste customers know that we use the same utensils for lower and higher caste people, they will never come to us again"
However, Dalits are no longer willing to take it and remain subordinate, especially now that the law is on their side.
Some Dalits have formed organisations "to fight for the end of such discrimination against us" said Jaleshwar Mallik, a Hindu Dalit.
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