After being chased away by neighbors in their village, the couple fled and immediately had their marriage legally registered with the help of organizations working to protect the rights of Dalits.
The newly-married couple was handed a marriage certificate by Chief District Officer Keshab Raj Ghimire. The CDO said this is the first couple to have legally registered an inter-caste marriage in the district. The two opted for marriage registration after villagers threatened to kill them. “I have congratulated them and asked them not to worry about what others say,” Ghimire said.
Dalit organizations including Dalit Community Development Coordination Committee have thanked and praised BK and Bista for helping reshape the community.
“They organized a function at Patan to felicitate the couple with garlands and certificates,” says Sher Bahadur Chand, representative of the NGO Insec. At the function, the couple was also congratulated by the Haliya Emancipation Society, National Dalit Network, Nepal National Dalit Societal Welfare Organization, political party representatives, media persons and hundreds of local residents.
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