The nepaldalitinfo expresses solidarity to United Dalit Movement; deplores the police arrests of peaceful demonstrators
The nepaldalitinfo, an international network of Dalit intellectuals and friends of Dalits of Nepal, deplores the police arrests of nearly 50 Dalit leaders and activists disrupting their peaceful demonstration programs organized in Kathmandu by various Dalit communities and their organizations. The network expresses its solidarity to the currently ongoing peaceful movement for just demands of Dalit communities.
The network considers the current situation of arrests and suppression as the government’s ill intention that undermins the length and breadth of the just demands put forward by the Dalit communities for their righteous position in the society they live in and creates a fear among the most disadvantaged and oppressed segment of the Nepal’s populace fighting for their rights.
“This intention of the state is systemic and deep rooted as a part of feudal culture taking Dalits for granted ingnoring them in every sphere of the society. While the government is starting to be greatly sensitive towards the demands of all other ethnic and regional groups, the state is still apathetic to the just demands of Dalit communities. This is contrary to the peoples’ aspirations that were expressed during the Jana Andolan.”, remarked Dr. DP Rasali, the founder and moderator of the network.
While many political parties are yet to show their official stand towards the current Dalit agitation, Communist Party of Nepal (United) has expressed its concern over arrests of peaceful Dalit demonstrators in Kathmandu and has called for normalizing the situation by way of initiating diaglogue towards fulfilling the just demands of Dalit communities.
The current series of demonstrations staged under the banner of United Dalit Movement is led by United Republican Dalit Front, Nepal. The front is formed by major Dalit organizations including Nepal Dalit Mukti Morcha (United), Nepal Rastriya Dalit Mukti Sangathan, Nepal Udpidit Jatiya Utthan Sangh (United), Nepal Dalit Free Students Union’s two groups and independenat dalit personalities, and is also indicative of a beginning of consolidation of Dalit unity for a united Dalit movement in Nepal.
The current 10-point demands of the movement are: 1. holding Constitutional Assembly (CA) election on time as scheduled, 2. ending monarchy with the declaration of a federal republic of Nepal, 3. making CA election fully inclusive—with a 20% seats allocated to Dalits for their proportional representation, 4. enforcing tough laws against untouchability that is a serious crime against humanity, 5. taking stern action against the culprits who perpetrated the oppression during the Jana Andolan, 6. establishment of Constitutional Dalit Rights Commission, 7. realizing Nepal as a secular state both in principle and practice, 8. providing free higher education for Dalit youth, 9. fulfilling just demands of Madeshis, indigenous nationalities and women, and 10. initiating dialogue immediately for fulfilling demands of Dalit communities.
Dr. Ramesh Sunar, an active member of nepaldalitinfo and a dentist by profession argued that dalits should fight for as high as 35% of the seats allocated for their proportional representation in the parliament. “Dalit underrepresentation, their discrimination and exploitation has been going on from time immemorial. They went through the worst treatement in the history of mankind. Political, educational, cultural and religious systems were used in a concerted manner to discriminate and subjugate them. So, at some point, the Brahmins and Chetris of Nepal must take responsibility and begin reparation. After all, they are the ones who have benefitted the most throughout the history of Nepal. They are benefitting from our misfortune even now as we are discussing this fact on this site and asking for our rights.”, he said in his argument for compensation to Dalits.
(A nepaldalitinfo special report)
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