Although the government freed Haliya laborers, annulling all debts incurred by their ancestors, local landlords in the villages of the far and mid-western regions have been coercing them into plowing their fields.
An OHCHR (Office of High Commission on Human Rights) estimate puts the number of Haliyas across the country at around 100,000.
Meet Hajari Ram Mahar, 73, of Nagarjun village in Baitadi district, whose family is being intimidated by local landlords to either plow the latter´s land or pay off debts. The landlords from whom he took loans have turned a blind eye to the government´s declaration canceling all Haliya debts.
Hajari was upbeat last year when the government set all Haliyas free from their debts. But local landlords from whom his father took the loans kept forcing his family to work for them to pay off the interest.
“They did not accept the government´s declaration,” Hajari says. His father Gore had taken a loan of Rs 7,000 from landlord Keshav Panta. Gore could not pay off the loan and worked all his life just to pay the interest.
After Gore´s death, Keshav´s son Ramesh forced Hajari to cultivate their land. When Hajari became unable to work due to advancing age, his son Raghu Mahar was forced to till the fields in his place.
With the government´s declaration, Raghu ceased to work for any of the landlords including the Pantas. Bir Singh Bhandari, another landlord from whom Raghu had taken a loan, this time Rs 10,000, threatened him with dire consequences if he did not continue to work or pay off all his debt.
“Once I had gone away from my village,” Raghu recollects. “When I returned, I came to learn that my 12-year-old brother had been taken to plow Bir Singh´s land in my place. I rushed out to bring my brother back. He was vomiting blood due to the excessive work he had to do.”
Raghu has filed a case against Bir Singh at the District Administration Office (DAO) of Baitadi seeking justice. According to Baitadi Chief District Officer (CDO) Keshav Ghimire, the case is likely to be decided this week.
“Landlords have been exploiting us with the help of fake Tamasuk-- hand-written agreements used mostly in the villages--dated after the formal emancipation of Haliyas,” says Raju Ram Bhul, president of Rashtriya Haliya Mukti Samaj.
Bhul says that government officials also favor the landlords rather than the exploited Haliyas. “A majority of landlords have relatives in government offices,” he further says. “They obviously favor the landlords over us.”
The landlords not only use fake documents to win legal battles against the freed Haliyas. At times, they also thrash them. Raghu´s mother Kutti Devi was a recent victim of the landlords´ wrath. She was severely beaten up by Bir Singh´s relatives who accused her of stealing some money.
Kutti Devi, 60, recalls that Mahadev Panta, who has a close relationship with Bir Singh, dragged her into a cow shed and beat her up until she fainted. “I was kept in hospital for over a week,” she says.
Raghu says that Mahadev thrashed his mother at Bir Singh´s behest.
“He had long been pressuring me to withdraw the case,” he says. “I did not stoop before them and therefore they beat up my mother.”
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