On 27 May 2020, the bodies of two

Dalit Dalit (from sa, दलित, dalita meaning "broken/scattered"), also previously known as untouchable, is the lowest stratum of the Caste system in India, castes in India. Dalits were excluded from the four-fold Varna (Hinduism), varna syste ...

men were found in the Bheri River, a major tributary of the Karnali River. The two men were identified as 21-year-old Nawaraj BK and Tikaram Sunar. According to the Nepal police, when BK and 18 others went to Soti village in

Chaurjahari Chaurjahari is a Municipality in Western Rukum District in Karnali Province of Nepal that was established in 2015 through the merging the two former Village development committees ''Bijayaswori'' and Kotjahari. It lies on the bank of Sani Bheri ...

, the villagers allegedly attacked the group and chased them to the river and killed them . Later two additional bodies were found, those of Ganesh Budha and Lokendra Sunar.

Incident

Nawaraj BK, from the Jajarkot District, went to the Soti village in

Rukum District Rukum District ( ne, रुकुम जिल्ला) was a "hill" and "mountain" district some west of Kathmandu partially belonging to Lumbini Province and partially to Karnali Province before split into two districts Western Rukum Distric ...

to marry a 17-year-old girl, with her consent. BK went to the village with 18 others on Saturday, 23 May 2020. Upon arriving in the village, they were allegedly attacked and chased by villagers, including Dambar Bahadur Malla, ward chair of Chaurjahari, and the girl's family. The group chased them to the Bheri River and six men jumped into the river to save themselves. According to some villagers, the group was attacked because of their caste; BK was a "lower caste" man trying to marry an "upper caste" girl. Also, the girl's family claims that BK was trying to marry the under-aged girl despite their refusal. BK had been in a relationship with the girl for three years, and wanted to marry her. On 27 May, the bodies of Nawaraj BK and Tikaram Sunar were found in the Bheri River. Two other bodies, those of Ganesh Budha and Lokendra Sunar, were found later. Two others, Govinda Shahi and Sanju BK, are still missing.

Reaction

Nepal police arrested Dambar Bahadur Malla, ward chair of Chaurjahari, and fifteen others. The

United Nations Mission in Nepal The United Nations Mission in Nepal or UNMIN was a special political mission in Nepal, established by the UN Security Council in January 2007 through resolution 174040 (2007) to assist in implementing key aspects of the Comprehensive Peace Agreem ...

called for an unbiased examination of the incident. The

National Human Rights Commission A human rights commission, also known as a human relations commission, is a body set up to investigate, promote or protect human rights. The term may refer to international, national or subnational bodies set up for this purpose, such as nationa ...

issued a press release writing "Soti incident goes against the provision of the right to live with dignity, right to equality as guaranteed by the constitution of Nepal, Caste-based Discrimination and Untouchability (Crime and Punishment) Act, and International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, 1965 signed by Nepal". The

government of Nepal The Government of Nepal ( ne, नेपाल सरकार) is the federal executive authority of Nepal. Prior to the abolition of the Nepali monarchy in 2006 (became republic in 2008), it was officially known as His Majesty's Government. T ...

sent five people to investigate within two weeks.

References

{{Reflist 2020 in Nepal Caste-related violence in Nepal