Kathmandu, September 13:

After launching a series of protests for the past 23 days, Badi women protesters took a day off today on the eve of the Teej festival.

The protesting women have shelved their protests slated for tomorrow as well.

Clad in red attire like many other women, the Badi women danced and feasted on Dar — delicacies prepared on the eve of Teej.

About 90 Badi women, who have been living at Banklali Dharmashala, Pashupati, danced and feasted on Dar at a Teej function organised under the aegis of the Dalit Women’s Campaign for Constituent Assembly (DWCCA) on the Dharmashala premises.

“We are enjoying this moment after days of protest,” Uma Devi Badi, coordinator, National Badi Rights Struggle Committee (NBRSC), said. “But we are missing our families.”

Different organisations have provided donations to the Badi women living in Dharmashala. “After arriving in Kathmandu, we seldom had enough to eat, at times we ate once a day. Every now and then, we have survived on beaten rice. This is a real feast,” said Sukmeli Badi from Bardiya, enjoying Pulao and meat.

Decorated in red outfit, the Badi women danced the whole afternoon.

Sukmeli said, “We all are fasting tomorrow and praying to the almighty to see to it that our demands are met soon.” We will resume our protests from Saturday, she further said.

Demanding that their 26-point charter of demands be met, around 150 Badi men and women, who have come here from different parts of the country, have been staging protests since August 16. Their demands include rehabilitation of the Badi people, a dignified life, proportionate representation of the community in the CA polls, land, education and heath facilities.

According to estimates, over 50,000 Badi people are living in 42 districts, mostly in the mid-west and far-western development regions. According to Binod Pahadi, coordinator of the Dalit Nagarik Andolan, around 400 Badi women are still into prostitution.