‘Constitution Trampled by Army and Bulldozers’: 54 Civil Society Leaders Slam Government, Demand Immediate Halt to Squatter Evictions
Kathmandu — Fifty-four civil society leaders have expressed strong objection to the government’s eviction of squatter settlements in the Kathmandu Valley and other parts of the country, stating that the move constitutes a flagrant violation of the Constitution. In a statement issued on Saturday, they claimed that the abrupt displacement has pushed thousands of citizens into insecurity, triggering a mental and social crisis.
The statement cites violations of multiple fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution: Article 16 (right to live with dignity), Article 17 (right to freedom), Article 18 (right to equality), Article 31 (right to education), Article 35 (right to health), Article 36 (right to food), Article 37 (right to housing), Article 38 (rights of women), Article 39 (rights of children), Article 40 (rights of Dalits), Article 41 (rights of senior citizens), and Article 42 (right to social justice). They also contended that the state has openly defied Supreme Court orders mandating that no evictions be carried out without proper management and alternative arrangements.
“Thousands of citizens have been rendered optionless and forced to live amid insecurity, humiliation, and uncertainty. The education of thousands of children has been disrupted. Pregnant women, new mothers, newborns, and senior citizens have been kept in holding centres in hazardous conditions without even minimum human dignity,” the statement read. The demolition of temples, gompas, and churches was also condemned as an assault on religious faith.
The leaders voiced objection that the government has made no formal decision public regarding the evictions, nor provided any concrete information on the method and process of identification after removal, plans for resettlement, or management of holding centres. “This is not merely a question of landlessness; it is a failure of state policy and plan implementation, institutional insensitivity, and a ruthless expression of deepening caste and class discrimination,” they stated.
They have demanded that the National Human Rights Commission immediately conduct on-site monitoring and make the facts public, that the Supreme Court ensure enforcement of its own orders, and that the RSP-led government answer to the public about the contradiction between its past commitments and present actions. The statement also demanded an immediate halt to evictions, dialogue with those affected, guaranteed education for displaced children, and safe housing and healthcare for new mothers, newborns, and the elderly. “On behalf of all citizens, we call for an immediate end to all actions that trample the Constitution through the use of military force,” the statement concluded.
