WUNRN
Asian Human Rights Commission - Urgent Appeals Programme
7 April 2009
NEPAL: DALIT WOMAN ASSAULTED, PUBLICALLY HUMILIATED AND FORCED TO
EAT HUMAN EXCRETA
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from
Jagaran Media Center (JMC), a human rights organisation in Nepal concerning the
case of a Dalit woman who was assaulted, publically humiliated and forced to
eat her own excreta by the villagers. It is reported that Mrs. Kalli Kumari was
accused of practising witchcraft by the villagers, who confined Kumari in a
room for two days, tortured and forced her to confess that she practiced
witchcraft.
CASE DETAILS
Kalli Kumari B.K is aged 45 years and is a Dalit woman. On March 20, Kumari was
accused of practicing witchcraft by the villagers, and was mercilessly beaten
up and forced to eat her own excreta in public. Kumari is the resident of
Pyutar-07, Thangsingtole, Lalitpur district of Nepal, a neighbouring district
of Kathmandu, about 40 kilometres away from the capital city. Ms. Bimala Lama,
a member of the indigenous community in the village and the Headmistress of the
Gadhibhanjyang Primary School, thrashed and force-fed Kumari her own excreta in
the presence of the villagers.
Kumari was kicked, punched and hit with a stone by Bimala Lama, her sister and
others who shouted, "a witch should be killed like this."
Kumari sustained severe injuries in the incident, particularly on her nose,
mouth and forehead. Kumari was accused of practicing witchcraft on Bimala, her
daughter and other villagers. Bimala also received support from the local
Shaman, Sunwar Lama. The villagers also threatened Kumari's husband that if he
spoke in support of his wife, he would also face the same treatment.
Prior to the incident, Kumari and her husband were confined in a room in one of
Bimala's relatives for two days. There, they tortured Kumari and forced her to
accept that she was a witch.
"I accepted that I am a witch when they threatened to chop my breasts
using blades," said Kumari after she was rescued by the staff members
of the JMC. When JMC rescued Kumari, they found that her inner and outside
garments have been cut using blades by the mob. Kumari was made to agree that
some animals in the village died because she practiced witchcraft upon them.
Kumari also informed JMC that she had to sign an agreement, taking responsibility
for the death of the animals that may die in the village in the future.
Kumari filed a case at the Area Police Office - Ashrang on March 23, but the
police have failed to arrest the victims. In spite of the pressure generated by
the Dalit organisations and civil society groups, the Chief District Officer
(CDO) and Superintendent of Police (SP) of Lalitpur district claim that they
are searching for the culprits and their efforts to arrest the accused were
foiled by the protesting villagers.
Coming to know about the incident the JMC along with the representatives from
different human rights organisations and the media, went to Pyutar on March 25
accompanied by the representatives from the National Dalit Commission, National
Women's Commission and a Dalit member of the Constitutional Assembly. The team,
after seeing the hostile environment posed by the villagers rescued Kumari, her
husband Chet Bahadur, and her 17-year-old daughter. The villagers tried to
attack them with stones and sticks. Kumari and her family are sheltered in
Maiti Nepal, a NGO working for the rights of women, in Kathmandu.
A meeting was organised in the premises of the National Women's Commission
where the representatives of Dalit civil society and other organisations were
present. The meeting formed a working committee to help the victim and her
family. A press conference was organised at the National Women’s Commission in
which Kumari narrated the details of her ordeal. The participants were
overwhelmed after listening to her narrative. The following day, news was
disseminated through newspapers, radio and television channels.
The working committee formed to support Kumari with her case approached the CDO
on March 29 to request the officer to arrest the culprits, obtain compensation
and to assist in resettling the victim's family. The committee requested the
CDO that his office should ensure that the culprits are arrested within a
week's time. However the authorities have failed to do so. The committee has
decided to take further actions if the culprits are not arrested.
In the meanwhile, Kumari is provided medical care by the JMC, which in fact is
the responsibility of the government. But the government has failed to do so.
It appears that the authorities are failing to take any action because the Lama
is the dominant community in Pyutar village and further, due to the caste
prejudice entertained by the authorities in Nepal. It is common in Nepal, for
the members of the Dalit community to be accused of witchcraft. Additionally,
the Dalits are considered to be of less significance and lower in status in the
country due to caste-based discrimination.
AHRC SUGGESTED ACTION: http://www.ahrchk.net/ua/mainfile.php/2009/3142/
About AHRC: The Asian Human Rights Commission is a regional non-governmental organisation monitoring and lobbying human rights issues in Asia. The Hong Kong-based group was founded in 1984.
http://www.ahrchk.net/index.php
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