Dalit families left homeless as forest officials burn down homes

Eleven Dalit families including a nursing mother have been left homeless for six days now after the District Forest Office (DFO) officials set fire to their makeshift homes in Govindapur V.D.C in Siraha district last week.

Dhank Kumari Biswokarma, 34, who delivered a baby child only eight days ago in Govindapur V.D.C has been left at the mercy of fate as 11 Dalit families including hers have been forced to live under the open sky in the excruciating monsoon weather.

After a group of forest employees deliberately set ablaze the Dalit settlement alleging its inhabitants of encroaching upon the territory of the forest in an unauthorized manner and engaging in illegal felling of trees, the Dalit families have fallen in a deep dilemma and no option but to move elsewhere.

Whatever little belongings they had including their cooking utensils and clothes were also consumed by the fire set by forest officials.

Decrying the incident as ‘appalling’, local human rights organisations have appealed to the authorities to immediately provide suitable compensation to the victimised Dalit families immediately and make proper arrangement for their rehabilitation. nepalnews.com ag July 11 07