Kathmandu, December 23:

Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Kedar Nath Upadhyaya, today said the NHRC is consulting with various experts for establishing a desk for Dalits.

While addressing an interaction on “Violation of Untouchability-related Human Rights

and NHRC” jointly organised by the NHRC and Jana Utthan Pratisthan today, chairman Upadhyaya said the NHRC is very sensitive on every issue of the Dalits.

Member of the Social Justice and Human Rights Committee of the Interim Parliament, Tilak Pariyar, said human rights can be ensured only when all three the commissions — NHRC, National Dalit Commission (NDC) and National Women’s Commission (NWC) — are made constitutional bodies. He said the issues of Dalits are the most important part of human rights.

NDC president Ram Lal Biswokarma said coordination among the NHRC, NDC and NWC is needed in order to safeguard human rights of Dalits and there should be a legal binding among the three commissions before maintaining coordination. During the function, founder president of Jana Utthan Pratisthan, Man Bahadur Biswokarma, presented a concept paper on “Violation of untouchability-related Human Rights and NHRC”.

Commenting on his paper, journalist and Dalit activist Binod Pahadi urged the NHRC to monitor cases of human rights violation and discrimination “which are still practiced by some government employees, and army police personnel”.

Hailing the role of the NHRC, executive director of JUP Amrit Biswokarma, and general

secretary of Dalit NGO Federation, Bom Bahadur Biswokarma, stressed on the need to preserve the human rights of Dalits and called on all to protect their rights.