A violent confrontation over the Pathibhara Cable Car Project in Taplejung district on Saturday, January 25, left over two dozen people injured, prompting the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to call for dialogue to resolve the conflict peacefully.
The clashes erupted as pro-identity activists, opposing the cable car project from its inception, confronted security forces. Sandipa Khadka, Assistant Chief District Officer of Taplejung, reported at least 25 individuals—21 police personnel and four locals—sustained injuries during the incident.
“Four civilians suffered serious injuries," said Khadka. "One was discharged from the hospital on Saturday, while the remaining three were initially referred to Biratnagar-based Nobel Medical College on Saturday and later airlifted to Maharajgunj Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu on Sunday."
Among the injured security personnel, four Nepal Police officials and three Armed Police Force (APF) personnel are still receiving treatment at Taplejung Hospital, she added.
In a statement issued Sunday, the NHRC urged all stakeholders to adopt a human rights-based approach to development and called on protesters to demonstrate peacefully.
The three individuals who are seriously injured—Sagun Lawati, Yam Bahadur Limbu, and Dharman Palungwa—sustain bullet wounds, according to the NHRC.
Read: Foundation Stone Laid for Rs 5 Billion Jalpadevi Cable Car Project
The controversy stems from local opposition to the cable car construction in the Pathibhara area, a significant religious pilgrimage site. The foundation stone for the project was laid on November 8 last year, with plans to complete the infrastructure within 15 months.
However, local groups, including the Mukkumlung Struggle Committee, have strongly opposed the project, citing threats to cultural heritage and environmental damage. Protests escalated last week when land leveling activities began at the site.
Several groups submitted a memorandum to the NHRC last week, alleging the project would cause cultural erasure and environmental destruction. The memorandum highlighted the "Sanskritization" and "Hinduization" of Mukkumlung, an area of cultural and spiritual importance to the Limbu/Yakthung community, which has been renamed "Pathibhara”.
"Thousands of trees, including Nepal’s national flower, the rhododendron, have been felled, and valuable herbs destroyed in the name of development," the memorandum stated.
Key demands outlined in the memorandum include preservation of Mukkumlung in its natural state and restoration of its original name; immediate halting of the cable car project; and ensuring compliance with international laws, and obtaining prior and informed consent from the indigenous community for any activity in the area.
“The situation has since calmed, and no further incidents have been reported as of Sunday,” Khadka noted.
