Sudurpaschim forms committee to probe tempo incident in Kailali’s Godawari

A committee has been formed to investigate the incident where a tempo was pushed off a cliff during an operation to remove encroachments in Godawari Municipality-4, Kailali.

The Ministry of Industry, Tourism, Forests, and Environment of Sudurpaschim Province has established the investigation committee under the leadership of Dr. Hemraj Bisht, Director of the Provincial Forest Directorate.

According to Secretary Dirghanarayan Koirala, the committee was formed following a ministerial decision and has been tasked with submitting a report within seven days after thoroughly investigating the incident.

The committee members include Kiran Joshi, Assistant Chief District Officer of the Kailali District Administration Office; Janak Padhya, Senior Divisional Forest Officer of the Division Forest Office, Pahalmanpur; Dhojraj Joshi, Mechanical Engineer at the Transport Management Office, Kailali; and Vijayaraj Ojha, Legal Officer at the Ministry of Forests and Environment.

The incident gained widespread attention and controversy after a video surfaced on Jestha 29, showing forest employees pushing a tempo off a cliff during the encroachment removal operation. In response, the provincial government formed the investigation committee to uncover the truth. Secretary Koirala stated that the ministry is taking the incident seriously and will ensure that those responsible are held accountable.