Ashok Prasad Dauliya, who has been operating Brothers puffed rice salad (chatpatey) at Ansan Chautari in Byas Municipality–3, was arrested on May 2, 2026, on charges of caste-based discrimination. DSP Shravan Kumar BK of the District Police Office, Tanahun, stated that he was arrested for investigation after a complaint alleging caste discrimination was filed.
In mid-April, after allegations surfaced that he used caste-discriminatory language toward Dipika Bishwakarma and her sister, who had come from Pokhara to eat chatpatey, Dalit rights activists filed a complaint at the District Police Office demanding action against Dauliya. Bishwo Budha Pariyar of Byas Municipality–14, Min Bahadur Chadaro of Myagde Rural Municipality–1, and Kinu Bishwakarma of Byas Municipality–1 filed a caste discrimination complaint on Baisakh 17, demanding action against Dauliya. According to DSP BK, it will only be confirmed after reviewing CCTV footage whether Dauliya engaged in caste-based discrimination against the customers.
Dauliya, popularly known as the “viral chatpat seller,” was accused of caste discrimination last week by Dipika Bishwakarma, who had visited his shop from Pokhara, through her TikTok account. “As soon as we arrived, he offered us to taste the chatpat he was preparing, saying, ‘taste it, Prabhu.’ We tasted it but found it lacking salt and sourness, so we shared our honest feedback. He was preparing a large bucket of chatpat enough for around 20–25 people. He also asked my sister Dipsana to taste it, and she gave a similar response. Right after that, he questioned us, asking what we had eaten before coming. He said he is also a ‘Pandit’ and claimed he could tell from our faces, and then said he would prepare it in a special way for us. He made it again, but it was extremely spicy and still lacked other flavors. When we again gave the same feedback, he handed my sister a phone to record a video and said, ‘may those who say it’s not tasty face misfortune,’” Dipika said in her TikTok video.
“We were told that since we said the chatpat and pani puri were not tasty, we looked like a certain caste. When we asked which caste, he replied that since we didn’t have nose piercings, we looked like Newars. When we asked why he was comparing with nose features and which caste we looked like, he said ‘Damai, Kami, or Sarki’ in a derogatory way. We told him my sister owns a gold shop and tried to take it positively. At the time of payment, he said he had Dalit friends, but he doesn’t believe it, and even if they came near the kitchen, they would wash the glasses they drank from before leaving. He said he feels pity. These words hurt us,” Dipika said. “We were left wondering if he meant that we should wash the utensils we used. While we initially took it lightly at the shop, later we felt uneasy, which compelled me to post it on TikTok. We had only gone there to eat chatpat and pani puri, why did he have to bring up caste?” she added.
The Dalit community has demanded action against Dauliya under the Constitution of Nepal and the Caste-Based Discrimination and Untouchability (Offence and Punishment) Act, 2011, for allegedly using caste-discriminatory language and behaving in an insulting manner toward customers.