Kathmandu, Oct. 22 -- On a day when families across Nepal gathered to celebrate Dashain, applying red tika and jamara to their foreheads and receiving blessings from elders, activist Deepa Nepali spent the festival at Kathmandu's Maitighar Mandala, continuing a protest that has lasted 186 days without a response from the government.

As the country immersed itself in the festive mood, Nepali continued to demand accountability, asking: "How long will caste continue to be placed above human beings?"

She was joined at the protest site on Wednesday by former Constituent Assembly member Binod Pahadi, Dalit rights activist Madan Nepali, Dalit campaigner Sunita Marik, Dalmardan Kami, yoga guru Drishtant Sharma and Ekal Darmali, who expressed so...