The trouble of his family, which had been facing discrimination from the society following his son's inter-caste marriage 17 years ago, deepened after his own relatives disowned them of late forcing, forcing them to take police support for the puja.
The District Administration Office (DAO) has instructed local security apparatus to deploy a team at the site of worship during the prayer, according to Chief District Officer (CDO) Udhav Timilsina.
The DAO took this decision after other members of Khadka's clan became furious when Khadka's family decided to offer prayers to the ancestral god in the village.
Around 17 years ago, Tanka's youngest son Krishna Bahadur had married a Dalit girl, Muna Mangrati, of Taple VDC. Following the inter-caste marriage, the Khadka family became ostracized in their own village. The family is not invited to any social gatherings or functions nor does any one from the village respond to their invitations.
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Recently, after locals including their close relatives opposed to their plan to offer puja to their Kuldevta on Friday and Saturday, the Khadka family decided to seek help of the local police. The Khadka couple, Tanka Bahadur and Sita, had visited the district headquarters last Tuesday.
"Due to discrimination in their own village, my son and daughter-in-law have been forced to move to Pokhara to work as waged laborers," said Tanka Bahadur. "We personally have no problem with our son's decision. But what to do, the society looks down upon us."
The locals have been allowing Khadka's other relatives to offer prayers at the ancestral temple, Tanka Bahadur told Republica, while his family has been restricted to enter the site. "They say that we have become untouchables after our son married outside of our caste. It is very painful," Tanka said.
Caste discrimination continues to plague society in several places despite the country banning it decades ago and it taking much acclaimed socio - cultural revolution during the 'people's war' waged by Maoists. During the decade long insurgency, the then rebels in their camps had organized many inter-caste marriages. However, due to several reasons, most of such marriages ended in divorce.
Meanwhile, CDO Timilsina said that local authorities will provide security to the Khadka family so that they can participate in the ancestral worship in the next two days. "We will not allow the practice of social exclusion," he added.
