Dolpo Raw and Real

A Dolpopa has his bullet wound covered with layers of khata (sacred silk clothes)

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Possession of prized aphrodisiac; conquering the Top of the world; Glory of hosting World Cup Football- all stained and littered with blood and sweat of my fellow country people. Plight of a poor country's marginalized citizens.

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June 3 to June 11

7 days

That's more or less how many days it would take one to reach Dho Tarap of Dolpa, from capital Kathmandu. More or less I say because I have never been there. It took me two days to reach Phoksundo from Dunai the district headquarter, and people said that it would take another day or two by foot to reach Dho.

June 3 when police personnel mercilessly beat locals of Dho Tarap - a small settlement in high pastures of Dolpa district. Very much a place shrouded in mystery and enchantment-mainly because of its geographical isolation.

June 11 when I first got to see flicker of these atrocities through small video clips shared in public by someone who witnessed it first hand.


It is a known fact in Dolpa that no government official including the VDC secretary ever bothers going upwards than Phoksundo VDC, simply because its too far, the inhabitants too low in number, and no one would ever complain anyway ever. Dolpa, like rest of Karnali receives various Government aids to be distributed through VDC office. But the inhabitants of upper Dolpa also called Dolpo, I doubt have ever seen their secretaries, let alone the faces of ever changing CDOs and LDOs.

I've only known CDOs and goverment officials reach Dho and Shey area twice. Once about 2 years ago when Shey Festival took place, and every VIPs flew there via Choppers. The second time, during this incident when the CA member Dhan Bahadur Buda landed there, only to come up in press with a bullshit of a remark-that Phurwa died while cutting grass. Locals have already denounced this statement as lo and behold-grass does not grow anywhere at Dho this time of year. Smells like a cover up to me!!!

When I was going from one village to another in Dolpa, I heard the name Dhan Bahadur Buda often enough (i'm not sure if it was the same person, but lets make a logical guess here huh?). He was a powerful cadre of RPP, and very famous among other things for being the main mafia Don in controlling the yarsa trade, and for embezzling around 18 crore(if i recall correctly after two years) in Karnali road construction scheme. The time I went there was just before CA elections, and everyone were predicting that of course Dhan Bahadur would win-no matter what. I didn't meet a single local who said they would vote for him-but everyone was certain he would buy his way through CA.

So when I read news that a CA member by the same name (albeit from UML and not RPP) flew into Dho only to try to blanket truth and hush hush the whole atrocity, I naturally get suspicious. If my conspiracy theory holds, I would say that there is some deeper strings being pulled when the police so vehemently attacked the locals.

Locals of upper Dolpa-or Dolpo as is called-are treated like second class citizens by the administration in Dolpa. The locals of Ringmo village by Phoksundo shared how they would have to pay money to lowland check posts when they were transporting essential goods from Dunai to their home. The World Food Program aid rice is among the bulk of this essential good.

When I heard this police brutality in Dho Tarap, I remembered and played back my visit to Dolpa. Near Phoksundo we had met a couple-husband and wife with children who were on their way to Saldang. They were on horses, and wearing ethnic Dolpopa dress. We stayed at the same homely small roadside hotel for the night. They already had a tough commute coming from Kathmandu via buses and then horses. They still had a few more days to go before they reached their homes. Imagine-7 days and 7 nights of torturous travel to reach one's home after running errands at the capital city. Dho is a similarly remote part of Dolpa. So when I heard that police ruthlessly beat and tortured the villagers, like there was no institution to hold them accountable to their atrocities-I could understand why the police thought of themselves as invincible. Because there is no single government mechanism present around Dho far and wide. The nearest is Dunai headquarter, or the Buffer Zone Management Committee. And we all know, which side they are on. because it was their order the police were following-with no restraint.

Ringmo village, where I went, and which is the one by Phoksundo lake had about 15 houses. Hardly 25 people were in the village when we went there. The lady who hosted us said that everyone would come back home during yarsa season, but the number did not exceed 50. There were other villages which were a bit more dense, and some which would be even more thinly populated. But nearest one was at least 2-3 hours walk away.

It must have been the same in case of Dho Tarap. So when I imagine police feeling all supreme powerful when they took under control the scarce population of a small settlement with no connection to authorities, I am not surprised. Yet it hurts so much. And it makes me boil with outrageous anger. Because attacking who you think weak is even disdainful and atrocious than one who you think are at your level or stronger than you.

Just because they dont look like you, they dont speak your language and they dont have the same privilege in state service like you-doesnt mean you can insult them and treat them like they are not humans or living beings. Beating of the locals, using ethnic slurs against them-all speak about the height of prejudiced mindset our police carry.

In the Friday's Press Meet, somebody from the audience asked if the police using "bhotey" as a slur against the Dho locals might be because the police mistook them may be as "Tibetans" He was quick to mention that whatever one may be, Tibetan or not, that it was no excuse to beat up somebody but still what were the chances...he asked. As much as this question was politically incorrect, as well as deeply offending and outrageous to me, the Dho locals themselves were quick to respond rather meekly that "they had their Nepali citizenship to prove that they were Nepalese". 

Now imagine, you are a common Nepali. What would your reaction be if someone asked you for your citizenship as a proof of your Nationality inside Nepal? I bet even the average Nepali is privileged enough that they will at first be most outraged by this. And indignant. How can anyone ask for proof of your nationality inside your own country?

But the Dho locals meekly put forward their proof of citizenship. Just think, how much discrimination they must have faced, because of their different culture, in their own country that they are not offended or surprised when one more asshole questions their nationality. 

What kind of country is it, when a citizen has to be constantly defensive of one's nationality and carry proof of it-a proof which has provided them little respite anyway. I understand their rage when they expressed that all 7 VDC people of upper Dolpo have been wanting to either burn all their citizenship or throw them in the river as a symbolic protest of state's negligence towards them. What has Nepal ever given them?

Every one of cyber community is so eager to share a lovely Phoksundo photo with taglines of beautiful Nepal and lovely Nepal. It takes so much convincing and word play on my part to ask them to spread this news of Police Atrocity in Dolpa. For them, Dolpa does not exist beyond Phoksundo. Just like Terai does not exist beyond Lumbini and Chitwan. Would anyone willingly and so eagerly share the killings in Terai, or the discourse around it? Would anyone ever take the time to understand what it feels to be countryless in your own country? To carry citizenship to prove your nationality every time, yet still be mistreated as being a lowly intruder?