Collective action for justice and dignity
committed to building constructive resistance against caste-based inequalities, indignities, and adversities
About the movement
Dalit Lives Matter is a leading social movement dedicated to ending caste-based inequality and advancing the fundamental rights and dignity of Dalit communities. By fostering strategic local, regional, and global alliances, the movement seeks to collectively dismantle the systemic injustices historically faced by Dalits.
In Nepal, the Dalit Lives Matter Global Alliance (DLMGA) serves as the movement’s vanguard and implements intersectional framework-based programming anchored in inclusivity, participation,and a people-centred ethos.
Dalit Movement - A Timeline
1854 A.D.
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Muluki Ain (National Legal Code)
- Institutionalizes the caste system. Legally categorized Dalits as pani-na-chalne jat “untouchables”.
Early 1940s
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Gothi Bassel resistance in Eastern Nepal (Tehrathum) against caste oppression.
1947
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Viswa Sarvajan Sangh,
- First Dalit organization was founded in Thadaswara, Baglung by Sarbajeet Bishwakarma & Laxmi Narayan Bishwakarma to challenge caste rules by wearing the sacred thread (janai), which was supposed to be worn by Brahmin and Chhetri. He established first school dedicated to Dalits
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Tailor’s Union led by Saharshanath Kapali
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Nepal Samaj Sudhar Sangh led by Jadubir Bishwokarma
1951
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Interim Government of Nepal Act 1951
- Fall of 104 years Rana regime → political opening
1952 A.D. (2009 B.S.)
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Sino-bahiskar Andolan- Nepal Harijan Sangh in Saptari by Mohandas Harijan
1954 (2011 B.S.)
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Pashupatinath Temple Entry Movement-
- One of Nepal’s earliest mass anti-untouchability movements. The Pashupatinath Temple entry campaign was initiated by Samaj Sudhar Sangh and was coordinated by Sidhi Bahadur Khadgi, Saharshanath Kapali, Mohanlal Kapali, Ganesh Yogi and Mewa Kapali were other leaders who led and helped in coordinating the movement.
1955 A.D.(2015 B.S.)
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Pariganit Nari Sangh founded by Mithai Devi Bishwakarma
- First Dalit women’s organization in Nepal.
1961/62 A.D.- 2006 A.D.
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Shaileshwori Temple Entry Movement
- Tikhe Nagarchi and Tikaram Sarki struggled to entrance Shaileshwori Temple in Doti district. He was arrested for entering the temple. In 2000 A.D. and 2002 A.D. Dalit leaders again attempted to enter the temple, but the effort was unsuccessful due to continued resistance and discrimination. Finally, in 2006 A.D The Shaileshwori Temple Entry Movement finally succeeded,.However, the success came at a high cost: more than 60 people involved in the movement were attacked
1962 A.D.
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The Constitution of Nepal, 1962
- New Constitution under King Mahendra imposes centralized rule; restricts activism.
1963 A.D.
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Naya Muluki Ain (New Legal Code)
- Formally abolishes untouchability and caste discrimination but no punishment provisions.
1989 A.D. (2046 B.S.)
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Sino Bahiskar Andolan (Siraha–Saptari)
1990 A.D.
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Jana Andolan I (People’s Movement)
- Ends Panchayat system; restores multiparty democracy.
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- 1990 Constitution
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- Declares untouchability illegal and punishable.
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1990–2006
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Maoist People’s War (Insurgency)
- Rapid expansion of Dalit NGOs, advocacy groups, political wings.
- Thousands of Dalits participated.
- Dalit issues become central to political discourse.
- Around 200 Dalits killed in conflict.
- Movement reframes caste oppression as structural (caste + class).
1992 A.D. (2049 B.S.)
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Sipapokhre Pani Ughau Sangharsha
2006 A.D.
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Jana Andolan II
- Inclusion becomes national priority.
- Start of federal restructuring.
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Declared untouchability-free nation
2007 A.D.
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The Badi Movement
2008 A.D
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federal democratic republic.
- First Constituent Assembly includes 50 Dalit representatives -highest ever.
- Haliya bonded labor system legally abolished.
2011 A.D.
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Caste-based Discrimination and Untouchability (Offence and Punishment) Act
- First law to criminalize caste discrimination with penalties.
2015 A.D.
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Constitution of Nepal, 2015
- Article 24 – Right against untouchability & discrimination.
- Article 40 – Dalit rights (proportional inclusion, education, land, justice).
2020 A.D.
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Rukum West Massacre (Soti Incident)
- Six Dalits murdered over inter-caste marriage attempt.
- Nationwide protests expose continuing caste-based violence
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Dalit Lives Matter movement started by DLMGA
2022 A.D.
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DLMGA officially started
Why the Dalit Movement Still Matters?
Nepal’s Constitution prohibits untouchability and caste-based discrimination. Yet Dalit communities continue to face violence, exclusion, and impunity. When justice remains inaccessible, movements remain necessary. Watch to understand why the Dalit movement still matters…
Caste Kills: The Reality of Dalit Oppression
This vision of Dalit Lives Matter movement emerges from repeated failures of the system to protect Dalit lives.
In 2025, Rinku Devi Sada, Anandi Devi Sada, and Puja Kumari Ram died after facing sexual violence, social pressure, and institutional failure. Rinku, a minor, was denied justice through forced village mediation. Anandi’s complaint was delayed for months as police pressured her into a settlement. Puja, who had survived an earlier assault, dropped out of school due to fear and was later found dead under suspicious circumstances. These are not isolated tragedies; they are part of a continuing and violent pattern.
In March 2023, a restaurant owner in Gorkha beat 36-year-old Phulmaya Pariyar to death because her seven-year-old daughter drank a beverage without permission. The case was settled through financial compensation. In the same year, a 22-year-old Dalit man in Simraungad was severely injured when a priest poured hot rice starch over him for entering a temple.
In 2022, Sundar Harijan, a Dalit youth, was found hanging in a prison toilet. Although he was 20 at the time of death, he had been only 17 years and three months old when arrested for allegedly stealing a mobile phone. His identity was suspiciously swapped with another convict accused of extortion and illegal arms possession. He was never placed in a juvenile correction center and was imprisoned alongside adults.
In 2020, Nabaraj B.K. and his five friends were brutally killed by a village mob enraged by an inter-caste relationship. That same year, a 13-year-old Dalit girl was found hanging from a tree in Rupandehi’s Devdaha village just one day after community leaders decided she should marry the upper-caste man who had allegedly raped her.
Earlier cases remain unresolved. Mana Sarki, an elected ward representative, was beaten to death in 2018. In 2016, Ajit Mijar was murdered for marrying a woman from an upper caste; his body still lies at TU Teaching Hospital, waiting for justice. Laxmi Pariyar, accused of witchcraft, was tied to a pole and fed human feces; four days later, she was found dead in her home.
The list is endless. Yet, many more violations remain unreported, and countless stories go unheard. Statistics from Attorney General show that 964 cases of caste-based discrimination and untouchability have been registered since the enactment of the Caste-based Discrimination and Untouchability (Offense and Punishment) Act, 2011. These numbers reflect not only reported crimes but a deeper system where caste violence is normalized and justice is delayed.
Dalit Lives Matter exists to demand dignity, justice, and equity until caste-based injustice ends. Dalit Lives Matter is built by Dalit communities, for Dalit communities.
It stands alongside survivors, families seeking justice, youth leaders, grassroots activists, and allies committed to dismantling caste-based oppression.
National vs Dalit Average
- Yearly Income
- Literacy Rate
- Access to Family Planning
- Landless
- Poverty
- Food Adequacy
National Average
$669.56
Dalit Average
$257.82
National Average
76.2%
Dalit Average
67.4%
National Average
53%
Dalit Average
43%
National Average
21%
Dalit Average
40%
National Average
25%
Dalit Average
42%
National Average
77%
Dalit Average
53%
At least
250 MILLION
people worldwide still face appalling and dehumanising discrimination based on caste and similar systems of inherited status.
-Rita Izsak
United Nations Expert on Minority Issues, (2011-2017)
of the total population, are particularly
affected by caste-based violence and discrimination. Widespread discrimination against Dalit, indigenous nationalities, madhesi and other minorities
continues rampant.
-Olivier De Schutter
UN Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty
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