The House of Representatives yesterday formed a nine-member Special Parliamentary Committee under NCP lawmaker Devendra Paudel to investigate the alleged killings of Dalit youths in Rukum (West).

Lawmakers Ekbal Miya, Durga Paudel, Parbati Kumari Bishunkhe, Prakash Rasaili, Bimala Bishwakarma, Maheshwar Jung Gahatraj, Min Bahadur Bishwakarma and Ram Sahay Yadav are other members of the ‘Chaurjahari Municipality Soti Incident Probe Parliamentary Special Committee’.

The committee should submit its probe report within 30 days of formally starting its investigation.

The dead bodies of six Dalit youths in Chaurjahari, Soti of Rukum (West) were recovered from the Bheri River after they were allegedly attacked and chased by a group of villagers on May 23.

The incident occurred when a group of 18 youths had gone to Soti to help their friend Nabaraj Biswokarma, 21, of Bheri Municipality in Jajarkot district, elope with a so called ‘higher caste’ girl from Soti village.

The group was, however, was allegedly severely beaten and chased by Soti locals, including ward Chair Dambar Bahadur Malla and the girl’s family.

This incident of caste-based violence has drawn condemnation from national and international rights organizations as well as the civil society.

Traditional caste-based occupation and forced labor, token political representation, social boycott, and education deprivation are among a few social and cultural discrimination faced by Nepali Dalit population.