Just when Dalits had thought their days of social exclusion were over, the ?upper? caste have proved that old habits die hard. ?Taka Jatra? a pre-Dasain four day fair in Baitadi Malladehi in west Nepal has been cancelled for five years after some Dalits entered the Dilashaini temple complex to offer puja. The idol was being prepared to be taken to Haridwar in India for ritual cleansing. VDC chairman Dipak Bahadur Bam confirmed that the traditional healer Jaya Singh Bohora had ordered the cancellation of the fair for five years. In a related incident, a ?Ramleela? programme was cancelled for this year after a dispute between Dalits and non-Dalits. Member of Dalit Mukti Samaj Puran Singh Dayal was beaten up by upper caste people three weeks after he unsuccessfully tried to enter the Jagannath temple. The police reportedly just looked on as non-Dalits organised a rally protesting the entry.