Mass Rally in Butwal City of Nepal as Landless Communities Protest Evictions and Demand Housing Rights

BUTWAL, Nepal — Tens of thousands of landless settlers and informal residents gathered in the western Nepal city of Butwal on Saturday, staging one of the country’s largest recent demonstrations over housing insecurity and government eviction drives.

The protest, organised by the Nepal Landless Squatters and Informal Settlers Struggle Committee, drew participants from more than 22 districts. Demonstrators marched through major parts of Butwal, chanting slogans against forced demolitions and calling for secure housing rights and rehabilitation guarantees.

Organisers estimated turnout at over 30,000 people, claiming it was among the largest mobilisations in recent years focused on land and housing rights in Nepal. Security personnel were deployed across the city as crowds moved from Rajmarg Chauraha to Traffic Chowk, where a public assembly was held.

Protest leaders accused authorities of carrying out bulldozer-led eviction operations in long-established settlements under the justification of protecting public land, without providing adequate relocation, compensation, or alternative housing. Organisers further claimed that up to 1.2 million families nationwide could be affected by ongoing or planned eviction campaigns.

Adviser Birendra Bik said many affected families had lived in these settlements for decades and were now facing uncertainty, fear, and worsening living conditions due to eviction threats.

At the rally, organisers announced plans for a national conference in Butwal to develop policy proposals and establish a unified national committee aimed at pressuring the government and political parties to adopt long-term solutions to informal settlement issues.

Representatives from multiple political groups, including factions associated with the Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, Maoist parties, and regional organisations, reportedly expressed solidarity with the movement.

The demonstrations underscore growing tensions in Nepal over urban land management, informal housing rights, and the government’s efforts to balance public land protection with the needs of low-income and long-term informal residents.

Media Published source: kendrabhag.com