Taplejung, April 27, 2026

The Dalit community is increasingly becoming a victim of the changing patterns of caste discrimination and untouchability that are still deeply rooted in society. A special workshop was held in Taplejung today with the aim of identifying the major problems and challenges faced by the Dalit community and discussing in depth the issues of strategic advocacy and social justice.

The program, chaired by Devendra Bishwakarma, Executive Director of Human Rights Forum Nepal and hosted by Chhiring Lama, Chief of District Coordination Committee Taplejung, was attended by Chief District Officer (CDO) Shivaraj Sedhai, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Ved Prasad Gautam, district leadership of parties including the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, Shram Sanskriti Party and RPP. Similarly, representatives of the District Bar Association, the Federation of Nepalese NGOs, the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) and the Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) stated that caste-based untouchability is a punishable crime and effective implementation of the existing law is necessary to end it. During the discussion, they emphasized the importance of willpower, coordination and collaboration among the responsible state bodies for the effective implementation of the law. The program, facilitated by Bhakta Bahadur Thami, was conducted under the project "Solidarity for Ensuring Dignity: Collective Efforts Against Caste Discrimination through Policy Awareness at the Local Level" with the support of Misericordia Germany, organized by Human Rights Forum Nepal and coordinated by the District Coordination Committee Taplejung.