In Kailali’s Godawari, police have taken ten forest officials into custody for questioning following an incident where a tempo was pushed off a cliff during the removal of forest encroachment. The incident occurred along the Bhimdatta Highway, where Dhanadevi Dhami had been using a tempo as a small retail shop, which was reportedly pushed off the cliff by forest officials. A video of the event circulated widely on social media. The Division Forest Office in Dhangadhi stated that while removing a roadside shack, balance issues led to the already damaged tempo falling off the cliff.
31 Jestha, Dhangadhi – Ten forest personnel have been detained by police in connection with the tempo being pushed off a cliff during forest encroachment clearance in Gaibandhe, Ward No. 4 of Godawari Municipality, Kailali. The District Police Office Kailali apprehended six staff members, while four others were taken by the Malakheti Police Station, totaling ten forest employees in custody. According to Police Inspector Lokraj Joshi of the district police office, the officials were detained for interrogation.
He added that efforts are ongoing to identify the forest personnel involved in the incident where a tempo used by a woman to sell retail items was pushed off the cliff in Gaibandhe. On Friday, a video showing forest officers and forest guards pushing the tempo, used by Dhanadevi Dhami as a retail shop along the Bhimdatta Highway encroachment area, off the cliff went viral on social media. During a press conference on Sunday morning, the Division Forest Office Dhangadhi explained that the tempo was already damaged and placed alongside the road as a shack. The office claimed that due to longstanding obstructions to removing the shack, force was used on Friday to clear it, but difficult terrain and balance issues caused the tempo to fall off the cliff during the process.
