Dalit freedom hinges on religious reform

The incompatibility between caste rituals and anti-caste laws has caused inevitable friction in Nepali society.

Despite dramatic political and legal changes in recent years, freedom eludes Nepali Dalits. Caste hatred penetrates and permeates every fibre of Nepali culture. Members of the “lower caste” or “unclean caste” that do not honour the traditional caste system are likely to be verbally abused and physically assaulted, if not killed. Over 70 percent of the Dalits rent properties in Kathmandu, Butwal, Dhangadi and other towns by faking their surnames; few landlords would accept them if their true caste identities were revealed. The idea of the country as a secular democratic republic sounds like a misnomer for most of us, as we still face exclusion, humiliation and violence reminiscent of the Rana autocracy.