Hundreds protest Nepal's eviction of landless squatters as activists face police crackdown

Hundreds of people took to the streets in Nepal's capital on Sunday to protest the government's eviction of landless squatters without first providing alternative housing, amid growing criticism over the treatment of displaced families and youth activists.

The demonstration, organised by the Joint National Squatters Front, was held at Maitighar Mandala, near the Singhdurbar Secretariat in Kathmandu. Protesters carried placards reading "end the atrocity against the poor people", "respect human rights", "stop illegal arrest", and "provide shelter to the squatters".

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The protests came days after severe flooding hit a government-run holding centre in Kathmandu's Kirtipur on Friday night, where around 150 displaced squatters had been living. Security personnel evacuated residents from the inundated facility.

A group of youth-led Gen Z activists visited the site on Saturday to assess the situation, but police baton-charged and arrested them, according to local reports. One activist suffered facial injuries and was admitted to a local hospital.

The police action drew sharp criticism from Nepali Congress President Gagan Kumar Thapa, who condemned the arrests, objected to the use of force against the activists and demanded their immediate release.

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Public anger over the incident spread beyond the capital. In Koshi province on Sunday, police arrested 26 people after they staged a sit-in outside the main gate of the Morang District Police Office, protesting the alleged mistreatment of the Gen Z activists.

The latest unrest follows the government's eviction drive launched in April, when authorities demolished informal settlements across the Kathmandu Valley and other parts of the country. The campaign displaced more than 15,000 people from around 2,600 families.

According to official figures, 325 of those families were later accommodated in temporary holding centres across Kathmandu.

On July 2, the government directed landless squatters to vacate the holding centres by July 6. However, more than 60 families were still refusing to leave as of Thursday, underscoring the continuing standoff over resettlement and rehabilitation.