Social:Inter-caste marriage in Nepal

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Short description: Type of marriage in Nepal
The Muluki Ain caste/ethnicity hierarchy of Nepal, 1854

Inter-caste marriage (Nepali: अन्तरजातीय विवाह Template:IPA-ne) is a type of marriage that is done outside of one's caste. Nepal has many castes and inter-caste marriage is generally considered taboo. However, this kind of marriage has been gradually gaining acceptance.

It is against the law to discriminate against a person for their "cultural and ethnic" background.[1] Nevertheless, most Nepali families disapprove of inter-caste marriages because "they fear they will become social outcasts".[1] According to research done by Jagaran Media Center, inter-caste marriage often leads to harassment, forced separation, displacement, and institutional discrimination.[2] Additionally, brides who are not accepted by their families were found to be at risk of depression and psychosocial difficulties.[3]

Background and reactions

In 1854, the Government of Nepal passed the "Muluki Ain" commissioned by Jung Bahadur Rana.[4][5] This law outlawed marriage between people of a lower caste with those of a higher caste.[4] In 1963, King Mahendra modified the law to abolish the "caste-based unequal citizenship".[4][6] Since then, inter-caste marriage has been gradually gaining acceptance throughout Nepal.[4][7][8][9]

In 2009, the Government of Nepal announced that it would give a sum of रू100,000 Nepalese rupees (roughly US$1,350[10]) away to couples who have an inter-caste marriage.[11] The recipients would have to claim the sum within 30 days of the marriage.[11] Republica, however, has reported that there was no "government assistance for Dalit women" who were left jilted by their upper-caste husbands.[11]

Notable incidents

2004 Saptari kidnapping

In January 2004, Manoj Khanga, a member of the Dalit community, and Parbati Raut, who were in an inter-caste wedding, were reportedly kidnapped by the bride's relatives.[12] Prior to that, the bride's family had filed a complaint in the police claiming that it the marriage was illegal. The couple were arrested but were released a few days later.[13] Subsequently, the Dalit community living in Saptari District, Nepal, was attacked by over 200 upper-caste people and were compelled to leave their village.[12] All of the property owned by Dalit communities was looted and vandalised (worth about est. 15 million Nepalese rupees).[12] The upper-caste community terrorized and told Khanga that they would "kill him in front of his family".[14] The case was sent to the Asian Human Rights Commission.[12]

Soti incident

Typical Nepali Hindu wedding

In May 2020, two bodies of Dalit men were found in the Bheri River, a major tributary of the Karnali River.[15] The men were identified as Nabaraj BK and Tikaram Sunar. According to the Nepal police, 21-year-old BK with 18 others went to the Soti village in Chaurjahari to marry a 17-year-old girl. The villagers allegedly attacked the group and chased them to the river.[16] According to some villagers, the group was attacked because of their caste.[15] BK was a "lower-caste" man trying to marry an "upper-caste" girl. The girl's family, however, claimed that BK was trying to marry the underaged girl despite their refusal. BK had been in a relationship with the girl for three years and wanted to marry her.[17] United Nations Mission in Nepal called for an unbiased examination of the incident.[18]

Notable inter-caste marriages

  • Former Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai (Brahmin) and Hisila Yami (Newar)[19]
  • Pop singer Nalina Chitrakar (Newar) and Sanjeev Mishra (Madhesi)[20]
  • Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli (Brahmin) and Rashika Shakya (Newar)[21]

Inter-caste marriage in film

  • Pandra Gate (1986), starring Hari Bansha Acharya and Sharmila Malla[22]
  • Bato Muni Ko Phool (2010), starring Rekha Thapa and Yash Kumar.[23]
  • Ghampani (2017), starring Dayahang Rai and Keki Adhikari[24]

Inter-caste marriage in literature

  • Sumnima, a novel by B. P. Koirala[25]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Atreya, Alok; Shrestha, Milan; Acharya, Jenash (2018). "Inter-caste lovers' suicide pact – Case report from Nepal". The Medico-Legal Journal 86 (2): 103–106. doi:10.1177/0025817217730993. ISSN 2042-1834. PMID 28901244. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28901244/. Retrieved 24 June 2020. 
  2. ↑ "Inter-caste Marriages In Nepal Face Violence And Intimidation". https://www.advocacynet.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/PR-189-Nepal-intermarriage.pdf. 
  3. ↑ Subedi, D. B. (2018-05-07) (in en). Combatants to Civilians: Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Maoist Fighters in Nepal's Peace Process. Springer. ISBN 978-1-137-58672-8. https://books.google.com/books?id=PydaDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA207. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Basnet, Chudamani; Jha, Ratnakar (29 October 2019). "Crossing the Caste and Ethnic Boundaries: Love and Intermarriage Between Madhesi Men and Pahadi Women in Southern Nepal" (in fr). South Asia Multidisciplinary Academic Journal. doi:10.4000/samaj.5802. ISSN 1960-6060. http://journals.openedition.org/samaj/5802. Retrieved 24 June 2020. 
  5. ↑ "Nepali Politics And The Rise of Jang Bahudur Rana, 1830–1857". https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/28837/1/10673006.pdf. 
  6. ↑ "Abrogation of Some Criminal Cases and Remission of Punishment Act, 2020 (1963)" (in en-US). http://www.lawcommission.gov.np/en/archives/14022. 
  7. ↑ Bishwakarma, Mom (7 March 2019) (in en). Political Transformations in Nepal: Dalit Inequality and Social Justice. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-429-75615-3. https://books.google.com/books?id=oEmMDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT68. Retrieved 24 June 2020. 
  8. ↑ Yadav, Punam (28 April 2016) (in en). Social Transformation in Post-conflict Nepal: A Gender Perspective. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-35390-4. https://books.google.com/books?id=YiURDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA167. Retrieved 24 June 2020. 
  9. ↑ "Nepal, an emerging rainbow nation". http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=17503#.XvM_IGhKiUk. 
  10. ↑ "Inter-caste Newlyweds Face Eviction, Discrimination in Nepal" (in en-US). 10 August 2010. https://globalpressjournal.com/asia/nepal/inter-caste-newlyweds-face-eviction-discrimination-in-nepal/. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Sunar, Giri Bahadur. "Rough road to inter-caste marriage" (in en). https://myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com/news/53534/. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 "NEPAL: The Dalit community in Saptari district was attacked due to an inter-caste marriage and the couple was kidnapped" (in en-US). http://www.humanrights.asia/news/urgent-appeals/UA-17-2004/. 
  13. ↑ "International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights". https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/Treaties/CCPR/Shared%20Documents/NPL/INT_CCPR_NGO_NPL_14741_E.pdf. 
  14. ↑ "Nepal: violence against Dalits because of an inter-caste marriage". World Organisation Against Torture. https://www.omct.org/escr/urgent-interventions/nepal/2004/02/d2149/. 
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Soti Incident: 15 including ward chair arrested in connection with Nawaraj BK's killing" (in en-US). 26 May 2020. http://thehimalayantimes.com/nepal/15-including-ward-chair-arrested-in-connection-with-dalit-youths-killing/. 
  16. ↑ "Bodies of two Dalit men recovered from Bheri River" (in en). https://kathmandupost.com/national/2020/05/25/bodies-of-two-dalit-men-recovered-from-bheri-river. 
  17. ↑ "One more body recovered from the Bheri River on Monday" (in en). https://kathmandupost.com/national/2020/05/26/one-more-body-recovered-from-the-bheri-river-on-monday. 
  18. ↑ "UN calls for impartial investigation into Rukum (West) incident in which Dalit youths were killed" (in en). https://kathmandupost.com/national/2020/05/28/un-calls-for-impartial-investigation-into-rukum-west-incident-in-which-dalit-youths-were-killed. 
  19. ↑ "Caste no bar". Nepali Times. http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=15581. 
  20. ↑ "Unifying Nepal via Marriage: Pahade Wives and Madhesi Hubbies". 2 August 2007. https://blog.com.np/2007/08/02/unifying-nepal-via-marriage-pahade-wives-and-madhesi-hubbies/. 
  21. ↑ "Oli's Radhika". The annapurna express. 2018-05-07. https://theannapurnaexpress.com/news/olis-radhika-355. 
  22. ↑ "Does blackface have a place in Nepali comedy? Probably not". https://kathmandupost.com/art-culture/2019/09/01/does-blackface-have-a-place-in-nepali-comedy-probably-not. 
  23. ↑ "Batomuniko Phool (A flower under the trail), a must see movie for social reformer". http://nepaldalitinfo.net/2010/11/27/792/. 
  24. ↑ "Inter-caste romance in Ghaampani" (in en). https://myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com/news/4883/. ; "Ghampani collects Rs 12 m in 3 days" (in en). https://myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com/news/18352/. 
  25. ↑ Nepali, Min (2017). "Humanity in BP Koirala's Sumnima". Crossing the Border: International Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies 5 (2): 37–50. doi:10.3126/ctbijis.v5i2.18437. ISSN 2350-8922. 




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