UN condemns deadly attacks on low-caste youths in Nepal

KATHMANDU: The UN rights chief has urged Nepal to investigate the murder of six young members of the persecuted Dalit minority, including a 12-year-old girl, after the deadly attacks sparked outrage in the Himalayan country. The tradition of “untouchability” and mistreatment against the low-caste Dalits, who make up around 13 percent of Nepal´s population, persists even though discrimination is formally outlawed.

Last week a group of young friends were chased and attacked by a village mob, incensed that one of the boys was planning to marry a girl from a different caste. They were forced to jump into a river in western Rukum district where at least five of them drowned, according to police and media reports, while a sixth was still missing. Police have so far arrested 20 people over the attack, including a local government official accused of participating. In another incident on the same day, the body of a 12-year-old Dalit girl was found hanging from a tree in the southern district of Rupendehi. She had been killed after she was forced to marry her alleged rapist from a different caste, the UN said.

“Despite constitutional guarantees, impunity for caste-based discrimination and violence remains high in Nepal,” UN high commissioner for human rights Michelle Bachelet said in a statement calling for an independent investigation into the deaths. The deaths have sparked an outcry on social media and in Nepal´s parliament. A small group defied the coronavirus lockdown in capital Kathmandu to stage a demonstration against the killings. “These horrific deaths exemplify the discrimination and violence that Dalits continue to face in Nepal,” said Amnesty International´s Nirajan Thapaliya.