Tears and Sorrow as Makeshift Homes are Demolished in Sukumbasi Settlement
On Saturday, security forces oversaw the demolition of the Sukumbasi settlement in Thapathali, forcing residents to remove their belongings. The government’s failure to provide adequate notice created confusion and anxiety among the residents, complicating the management of the process. When the bulldozer damaged a water pipe, soaking belongings, many residents broke into tears. Police used loudspeakers to reassure that belongings were safe. (12 Baisakh, Kathmandu)
Despite intermittent rain and heavy security presence, the Sukumbasi settlement in Thapathali was encircled by Nepal Police, Armed Police, and occasionally Nepal Army vehicles, maintaining a vigilant watch. Amidst this security, residents were busily salvaging possessions — sheets of tin roofing and treasured household items — carefully bringing them outside to preserve them.
Earlier attempts to evict the settlement had resulted in clashes, but Saturday’s operation was largely peaceful, marked more by sorrow than anger. Facing overwhelming armed government forces, the residents, powerless, complied with the orders. They lacked the strength to confront the authorities or to challenge humiliating questions posed on social media. Residents viewed police assistance not as help but as a hurried push to vacate. “How is that help? The urgency is to remove us, who have nothing, but they don’t actually help. If they cared at all, why do it in such an oppressive and hurried manner?” said Shailendra Paswan, a resident.
As residents wept while leaving the place they had lived for years, the bulldozer entered the settlement around 8:30 a.m. After demolishing the visible structures from the road, officials moved inside to continue clearing the area. Police were seen assisting residents in moving their belongings. As bulldozers operated from Shankhamul and the maternity hospital direction, residents helplessly watched their homes come down, emotionally distraught over their possessions. Around 9 a.m., Anjali Paswan, mother of a four-month-old infant, was rocking her baby in a cradle. She said her family had lived there for 20 years.
As government bulldozers destroyed decades of memories, the infant swung quietly in the cradle. Watching their homes come down was difficult. “We don’t know where the government plans to resettle us,” Anjali said. “They suddenly came with a notice to demolish the settlement. We have no idea where we will be taken. They say they will arrange something, but where, we don’t know.” This underscores the lack of sufficient dialogue between the government and the residents. Despite government efforts to arrange transition measures, insufficient communication left residents anxious. Around 9 a.m., the bulldozer ruptured a water pipe. Water flooded belongings, increasing residents’ distress. Anger brewed among them, but they could only express it through tears. Elderly residents appeared especially heartbroken as years of memories were erased.
As the government demolished the settlement, many people were seen crying, some helplessly moving their possessions, and others cooking under the open sky. Most complained about the lack of proper information from authorities. Some sought rooms where they could live with dignity. “How can we fight? What power do we have against so many police and bulldozers? We endure suffering; we live through pain and happiness. But if the government evicts us in a humiliating manner, and society looks down on us, is that proper management?” local resident Jangbahadur Magar said. The government claims to have peacefully dismantled the Thapathali settlement. Currently, bulldozers are moving towards the Sukumbasi settlement in Gaurigaun. Similar demolitions are underway in the Sukumbasi settlement in Manohara.