Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has expressed serious concern over the scuffle between locals and police in the Pathibhara area of Fungling Municipality-11, Taplejung, regarding a cable car construction project.
A clash broke out between security personnel and locals over the project on Saturday evening. Several locals and police personnel were injured in the clash.
The NHRC has said that its Koshi Province Office has been monitoring the incident. Earlier, a team of NHRC had conducted a field visit to the construction site on November 17-23, 2024, and recommended that construction work should proceed only on a consensus basis.
Earlier, the local indigenous community had submitted a memorandum to the NHRC, stating that the Pathibhara area is a cultural and spiritual center for the Limbu/Yakthung community. They demanded that the area’s historical name, Mukkumlung, be retained, the cable car construction be stopped and that any development work in the area should require consent from the indigenous community. “These demands align with the provisions of ILO Convention 169 and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, 2007,” the NHRC said in a statement on Sunday.
The NHRC has said that the condition of Sagun Lawati, Yam Bahadur Limbu and Dharman Palungwa, who were seriously injured by police gunfire, is critical. They have been referred to Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital for treatment. Two other protesters were treated at Taplejung Hospital and have been discharged, while others are in stable condition, it added.
Similarly, seven police personnel are undergoing treatment at Taplejung Hospital, and others are reported to be in normal condition, according to the statement.
The NHRC has said that the state must be sensitive to such issues. It added that any development work in areas inhabited by indigenous communities must be carried out with their free, prior, and informed consent, as guaranteed by international conventions and declarations.
