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Brief narrative |
Location: Bhajani, Kailali district Date: 25 June 2024 Authority responsible: Forest Sub-Division Office Number of families evicted: 100+ Eviction notice/due process: Eviction notice issued but inadequate + ongoing verification process disregarded. Compensation: No Relocation: No Official rationale: Wildlife conservation On 25 June 2024, the Forest Sub-Division Office in Bhajani carried out a mass eviction that left more than 100 families homeless. Many of these families had been awaiting land ownership certificates from the Land Issue Resolving Commission and already had electricity bills, access to roads and nissa (temporary certificate of land occupation).74 Although a notice was issued, the eviction was carried out without completion of the verification process. The forest authorities ignored their obligations under the Right to Housing Act, claiming their role was only to enforce forest laws. Due to the lack of alternative accommodation options, some homeless families continued living there and remained there at the time of writing, fearing future eviction and hopeful of land ownership or resettlement.75 Families who remain in the area, including postpartum women and elderly individuals, are living in flimsy tents without basic services or adequate protection from the elements.76
74 Amnesty International Nepal, “Preliminary findings of the joint monitoring of forced evictions by civil society organisations”, 16 July 2024, https://amnestynepal.org/press_release/en-preliminary-findings-of-the-joint-monitoring-of-forced-evictions-by-civil-society-organisations
75 Consultation with Sushma Neupane, Land Rights Activist, CSRC, 5 May 2025.
76 Observation from field visit. |
