Police to Mediate Between Forest Employees and Victims in Kailali Tempo Incident

Kathmandu. Police will facilitate a discussion between forest employees and the victim in the incident where a tempo was pushed off a cliff from the highway in the Godavari Community Forest area of Godavari Municipality-4, Kailali. 

On Saturday, forest employees pushed and threw a tempo belonging to locals off a cliff from Gaimare on the Bhimdatta Highway section, accusing them of doing business in the tempo. A video of the tempo being pushed off the cliff went viral on social media. 

On Sunday evening, police arrested 12 employees from the Division Forest Office and Sub-Division Forest Office and kept them in custody. Among those arrested are two forest officers and forest guards. 

SP Narendra Chand of Kailali told Ratopati that police will first facilitate a discussion between the forest employees and the victims. He said, 'We will first facilitate a discussion, and if no agreement is reached, the investigation will proceed with a complaint.' 

Police are questioning the arrested individuals about the incident. Police have not publicly released the names of the arrested employees. The Forest Office alleges that the tempo was used as a shelter and business was conducted by encroaching on forest land.