KATHMANDU: Resident Coordinator of the United Nations in Nepal Valérie Julliand has expressed belief that the Nepal government will impartially investigate the Rukum West incident.
Expressing sorrow over the Saturday incident in which four lost their lives and two went missing in the scuffle that erupted over the inter-caste marriage issue, Valerie said the racial discrimination still exists in Nepal.
“I would like to express similar grief with the families of the deceased and believe that the Nepal government will impartially investigate the incident in line with the international obligations,” said Valerie.
Four people died and two are still missing in the Bheri river after they dived into the Bheri River to save their life when they were attacked by relatives and neighbors of a girl, who had an affair with a Dalit youth, Nabaraj BK of Bheri Municipality-4, Jajarkot.
They were chased away by the locals (neighbors of the girl). Six, among the 18, had dived into the Bheri river at the border of Jajarkot and Rukum (West).
Bodies of Nabaraj, Tikaram Sunar of Chaurjahari municipality-1, Ganesh Budha and Lokendra Sunar of Bheri municipality-1 have been recovered, police said.
Nabaraj had an affair with a so-called ‘upper-caste’ girl of that village. Her parents and the society were against her marriage with a Dalit boy.
The caste-based inhuman incident occurred when Nabaraj BK along with his friends and relatives went to his girlfriend’s house to bring her home.
The Ministry of Home Affairs on Tuesday constituted a five-member committee to investigate into the death of Dalit youths in Chaurjahari of Rukum.
The kin of the victim on Wednesday filed an FIR at the district administration office (DAO) against 20 perpetrators in the Dalit youths’ death case in Rukum (West) district.
Meanwhile, nine people including the ward chairman of Chaurjahari municipality 8 have been arrested in the course of investigation.
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