Squatter Evictions Spark Protests and Political Criticism in Nepal

Kathmandu. For the past week, landless and squatters across the country have been in distress. With the government's decision to vacate their long-occupied settlements and use bulldozers, they are being forced to silently leave their homes.

When one person fainted, some were even forced to choose unimaginable paths. On Friday, Indra Bahadur Rai of Khotang was found dead in the Bagmati River near the squatter settlement vacated in the Balkhu area. Rai was living in a place that the state was bulldozing on Friday. It was natural for him to be restless at the news that the house he had lived in for years would be bulldozed. According to locals, Rai, who had been living there with his wife and son for the past 16-17 years, used to earn a living by working in the vegetable market in Balkhu.

Similarly, as the squatter settlement on the banks of the Bagmati River in Thapathali was being cleared, local Rekha Kunwar suddenly collapsed. She is currently undergoing treatment at Bir Hospital.

बस्ती भत्काएको हेर्न नसकेर बेहोस भइन् रेखा कुँवर

डोजर अभियान चलिरहँदा एक जना सुकुमबासी बागमती नदीमा मृत फेला

The settlements of squatters, considered vote banks by all political parties during elections, are now desolate. Even those claimed to be managed by the government appear deprived of basic services.

As it is, the squatters, who are like the helpless, seem unwilling to express their pain as there is no one to speak for them.

Some leaders of a few parties have now started speaking out, accusing the government of bulldozing settlements without proper groundwork for the management of genuine squatters. Former Prime Ministers Dr. Baburam Bhattarai, Madhav Kumar Nepal, Nepali Congress President Gagan Thapa, and former Deputy Prime Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha have all criticized the government's move.

Former Prime Minister Bhattarai visited the squatter-evicted areas in Kathmandu, including Thapathali and Manahara, on Thursday. After an on-site inspection, Bhattarai stated on social media that he did not find the condition of the squatters to be as expected.

"Without adequate notice, bulldozers were suddenly deployed, and squatters could not even safely retrieve their belongings," former Prime Minister Bhattarai said in a long video on Friday. "The sight of people searching for their utensils within the debris of the demolished houses was extremely heartbreaking. Not only humans, but even their pets like dogs and cats, were seen sitting with sad faces in their old settlements, which made us very emotional."

Addressing a program of the Nepal Trade Union on Friday, Congress President Thapa expressed dissatisfaction, stating that bulldozers were run in squatter settlements within the Kathmandu Valley without identifying the genuine squatters.

सरकारलाई गगनको चेतावनी : नागरिकसँग युद्ध अपराधीजस्तो व्यवहार गर्न मिल्दैन

बालेनलाई बाबुरामको सुझाव- जे हुनु भयो, अब पुनर्स्थापनाकाे व्यवस्था गरेरमात्र सुकुमबासी बस्ती भत्काउनुपर्छ

सय दिन नपुग्दै सरकार जनविरोधी बाटोमा लाग्यो, नसच्चिए आन्दोलनको नेतृत्व मजदुरले गर्छन् : माधव नेपाल

"Currently, bulldozers are being run in the settlements of Kathmandu Valley. Some people living on the riverbanks are still staying there by deceiving the state. The constitution has given the government the responsibility to identify them and remove them with punishment," said President Thapa, "but the reality is that bulldozers have been run without identification."

President Thapa stated that the constitution gives the right to live somewhere to those who do not have a place to live.

Thapa said that squatters should be managed within the legal framework.

Madhav Kumar Nepal, coordinator of the Communist Party of Nepal (CPN) and former Prime Minister, commented that the government led by Balen Shah has started snatching the rights of the people.

Speaking at a program organized in Kathmandu on the occasion of International Labour Day on Friday, leader Nepal criticized the government for bulldozing settlements without identifying genuine squatters. "It cannot be justified to oppress without identifying squatters and without providing alternative arrangements," Nepal said. "This government is continuously taking anti-people actions. It is snatching the right of the people to have a place to live. Therefore, we must caution the government."

Another leader of the CPN and former Deputy Prime Minister, Narayan Kaji Shrestha, said that the bulldozing of squatter settlements across the country by the government has created terror and oppressed squatters. Leader Shrestha stated that the government led by Balen Shah does not consider squatters as citizens.

Shrestha revealed that he had disagreements with Balen Shah regarding the removal of squatter settlements even when he was the Mayor of Kathmandu. "I discussed this with him when he was the Home Minister. Our disagreement was that he used to say, 'Send security forces, I will remove the squatter settlements.' I said, let's first study and prepare data on how many are genuine squatters and how many are fake," Shrestha said on social media.

He also demanded that the Balen government stop the oppression and bulldozer terror on squatters.

"I strongly condemn the bulldozer terror and oppression on squatters in squatter settlements across the country and the irresponsible displacement of squatters, and demand that such anti-people, anti-poor, and autocratic actions be stopped immediately," Shrestha said.

Similarly, Harka Sampang, chairman of the Labor Culture Party, has been criticizing the Balen government's decision to remove squatters since the past. He has criticized the government's move through several statuses on social media.

He said, "If the government shows highhandedness and violates human rights by force, the people should not remain silent! Rise up in protest and resistance! Think, government, use your brain, not force!"