On February 10, 2002, a bulldozer was suddenly driven over the house of Deepak Mallik, a member of the Dom community, who had been living on public land in Aurahi Rural Municipality-5, Siraha, for about 30 years, in the presence of the rural municipality chairman Shivaji Yadav and former ward chairman Dilip Yadav. The reason for driving the bulldozer in such a way that his family of eight was completely destroyed was surprising.

The land where they were living was demolished, and the concrete house built under the Janata Awaz program of the provincial government was moved to a temporary hut on the bank of a river in the village, saying that a Mahayagya would be held from Chaitra 17 and that Dom would be untouchable if he lived here. Not only this, the soil of the place where his house was located was also removed and thrown away, saying that he was living as an untouchable.

After Kantipur published a news about it on Chaitra 7, the incident finally came to light and took on a national dimension. Then on Chaitra 9, the police arrested the rural municipality chairman and the former ward chairman and registered a case. A case was registered against them, including Bajrangi Baba, the alleged main priest of the Mahayagya, and three others for discrimination, caste-based untouchability, and vandalism of houses and displacement.

Although they were released by the Siraha District Court on a bail of Rs 100,000 each, the case is still pending. Despite knowing about this, the then Chief District Officer Basudev Dahal and District Police Chief Superintendent of Police Ramesh Pandit were drawn to the center after the administration ignored the allegations.

Similarly, the family of Ganapati Mallik Dom, who was living in Sukhipur Municipality-10 Bishwakarma Chowk, was beaten up on Bhadra 19 for being untouchables. Ganapati's family, who had been living on public land on the banks of Gagan Khola for 15 years, was beaten up by his neighbors.

Earlier, he had been living in Golbazar Municipality-13 Durgapur, but after being mistreated repeatedly because of caste there, he had come to live on public land on the banks of Gagan Khola. When they moved here, there were not many houses in the vicinity. With the development of roads and markets, houses in the vicinity increased.

The newly arrived neighbors had repeatedly threatened them to move to the river bank beyond the settlement, saying that it would be inauspicious for them to live in the settlement. However, when they refused, the neighbors who had been causing them a lot of trouble started beating them up.

In this incident, the police have registered a case against locals Sahadev Mahato, Sukdev Mahato, Nagendra Mahato, Dukharan Mahato, Shyamsundar Mahato and others for discrimination and caste-based untouchability. However, the police have not shown any readiness to arrest them.

These incidents are an example of the level of inhumane treatment that not only society but also the state machinery has been treating the Dom community, which is listed as an extremely poor and minority caste in Madhesh. But the same Dom community has been fulfilling a big and important need of the society.

This is the month of Kartik, i.e. the month of Chhath, the festival of sun worship. The use of bamboo materials is mandatory during Chhath. Not only during Chhath, but also during various pujas, weddings, and other ceremonies, bamboo materials are used.

Bamboo materials are made by the Dom community. The busyness of this community, which is otherwise unemployed, increases significantly during such times. Nirjala Mallik, 38, of Matiyarwa, Mirchaiya Municipality-6, had not eaten until 2 pm on Saturday.

She was found making nanglo at her own home and says that these days she does not even have a place to eat or bathe while working. During Chhath, bamboo dhaki, nanglo, kuniya, tapari, etc. are especially used. She said that a set of these materials is sold for up to 700 rupees.

The demand for bamboo materials has decreased recently due to the introduction of brass, steel, and plastic products in the market, but its importance has not decreased. She said that even now, each family earns 20,000 to 30,000 rupees per season from this.

She is as happy as she is sad during the season of selling bamboo products, which have been the basis of her livelihood. Because, even though untouchability has been legally abolished for a long time, Nirjala and her community are still suffering from untouchability in society.

She says that they are not able to live with respect in society and are troubled by the untouchable behavior they have been facing for generations. ‘Where has the world gone, and society still refuses to accept us as human beings,’ she asked, ‘God is worshipped with the things we make, but why are our bodies untouchable?’

To some extent, they have been facing discrimination during the Chhath festival itself, when they worship with the materials they themselves make. The so-called upper caste does not allow them to celebrate Chhath together at the ghat. ‘People of our caste are not allowed to celebrate Chhath in the same pond in some places,’ local Binod Mallik told Kantipur. ‘Even if they are allowed to do it in the same pond, our ghat is in a secluded place far away from their ghat.’

Not only the Dom community, but also the Musahar, Chamar, Halkhor and other communities of Madhesh are also suffering from similar discrimination and untouchability. They are not only discriminated against and untouchable from villages, schools, and markets, but there have been incidents of beatings on the grounds that they are untouchables.

The treatment meted out to the Dalit community in society is not only inhumane but also punishable, says Abhash Singh, who is also the custodian of the Madhesh library. Accusing the state government of fueling the discrimination and caste-based untouchability prevalent in the country, he said that it is impossible to end it unless the state becomes sensitive.