Reports from western district Rukum of Nepal says so-called high caste people have not allowed 25 Dalit families at Balle village in the district to use public taps for collecting drinking water.
"We are not allowed to use public taps set up in the courtyards of Brahmins and Chhetris,” Sumita BK said. “Therefore, I have to travel several hours more to fetch drinking water though the public taps are just beside my home,” she regretted.
At the request of the Dalit community, the local governance body District Development Committee had arranged 32 public taps in the village. However, non-Dalits have monopolized them barring the Dalit community from using them because of caste differences.
Another Dalit family member Thalbir Sunar said that he and other Dalits get frequent threats if they try to use the public taps set up in the courtyards of so-called high caste villagers who enjoy discriminating Dalits as so-called untouchable castes.
Sunar angrily added, "I was the one who took initiatives for the installation of so many public taps in the village, but the government installed them in the courtyards of Brahmins and Chhetris, and they banned us from using them."
According to Nepal’s law on caste discrimination, anybody who does not let another fellow citizen to use public services in the name of untouchable or lower caste can be fined up to Rs.3000.00.
There are no records of the implementation of this law. Consequently, the discrimination has continued unhindered.
In India and Nepal founded on Hindu caste hierarchy, Dalits are treated as non-human beings despite the legal provisions of equality in both the countries.