The splendor and grandeur of the Achhami Palace ended with the attack of the then Maoist rebels at midnight on February 20, 2058. The Achham Palace was at the center of the attack at midnight. 25 years after the structure was destroyed in the attack, a new palace was built on the ruins. However, the new palace has only been erected as a 'palace'. It was inaugurated in a hurry. The palace was reconstructed at a cost of 25 million rupees. However, there is still uncertainty about what the new structure will be used for.

The then Deputy Prime Minister and Urban Development Minister Prakash Man Singh inaugurated the palace with pomp on February 20, 2081. Even after 14 months since the minister's name was engraved on the inscription, the palace has not returned to its former glory. There is emptiness in 30 rooms of the palace. A similar emptiness prevailed after the then rebels attacked the palace. The foundation stone for the reconstruction of the palace was laid in 2065 BS. As grand as the legacy of the palace, which was built 16 years ago, is, its current neglect and government negligence are equally sad and shocking.

Ratna Dhungana, an 85-year-old local woman whose house is attached to the palace, still sees flames and screams when she looks out the window. Memories of the night of the attack are etched in her mind. ‘As the sky cracked, gunshots would come,’ she said, ‘Oh... I’m dead... Mother... Save me... Don’t kill me... Instead, kill me directly, don’t torture me like this.’ According to her, the day of the attack was Saturday. She said that after rumors spread that the then Maoists were going to attack, she hid inside her house without even giving water to her livestock.

‘The palace was the target of the Maoists. "There was no hope of survival because the house was next to the palace," she said. "That night, the Maoists surrounded the palace from five sides, including the children's temple, Naike Tundo, Khulletola, the former prison, and the slum." The family was even more at risk because of the police who rented a room in her house. She said that they lived together, thinking that even if they died, they would all die together. She said that the rebel Maoists threw out the household utensils and dragged her son away, saying that they were hiding the police. "Finally, they fired a gun at the side of the house," she said. "A policeman had been living like a family for 5 years. I saved him by crying and saying that he was my eldest son. Even now, I feel happy when that man comes to meet me, calling me mother." The night the palace was destroyed still hurts Ratna's daughter-in-law Muna. She was pregnant at the time. The then Maoist fighters entered the house and ransacked it, affecting the unborn baby. ‘We also learned the language they spoke when the Maoists surrounded the house,’ she said. ‘They would shout ‘Khursani’ in a loud voice, which meant that their people had died.’ She said that there was a lot of politics going on in the destroyed palace. She said that the palace, which was soaked in blood and used as a grave for more than a hundred people, has now become an abandoned palace, even though it was built, she said. 

The current condition of the Achham Palace, which was reconstructed after 16 years, revealed the neglect of the state, said Kamman Singh Nagarji of Mangalsen-5. He said that there was a competition to gain political power by inaugurating it in a hurry. ‘The fact that the palace was not used for 14 months after its inauguration also confirms the neglect,’ he said. ‘The contractor delayed it for 16 years, citing a lack of wood. The construction was finally completed. The government is not in a hurry to make its operating procedures now.’

Minraj Bhandari of Mangalsen-8 was a police cook in the palace. He is saddened by the pomp and circumstance during the inauguration. Having lost three of his friends Tikaram Jaisi, Hark Bhandari and Tek Bahadur Thapa, he is saddened by the new palace. ‘The palace was attacked for the first time at 1:22 am,’ he said. ‘I escaped. But my friend was killed there.’ According to him, even the family members of those who lost their lives in the attack were not informed during the inauguration. ‘Only the names of those who were inaugurated were hurriedly mentioned,’ said Minraj.

Minister Singh had said during the inauguration that the palace should be utilized properly and the new generation should be informed about its historical importance. However, no one has shown interest in preserving the historical structures and bringing the palace into operation. The palace, which was built under the Ministry of Urban Development, was inaugurated and handed over to the Ministry of Home Affairs through the Chief District Officer. However, the reconstruction work has not been completed yet. A clear blueprint for the operation of the palace has not been prepared, creating confusion about its operation, said Chief District Officer Yagya Bahadur Budha.

‘Although the process of inaugurating the palace has been completed, it has not been fully constructed,’ he said, ‘It seems that the contractor is still working. A clear blueprint has not been prepared on how and what to do to operate the palace.’ He said that since it is the property of the federal government, it is necessary to cooperate with the local and provincial governments. Currently, tiles are falling from the south and west parts of the palace. ‘The work being done by the contractor is also not satisfactory. There is confusion about many issues,’ he said, ‘Apart from making arrangements for security personnel from outside the palace to stay in the palace for a while during the elections to the House of Representatives held on Falgun 21, this palace has not been used for any other purpose.’

According to Marchakaji Shrestha, Director General of the Ministry of Urban Development, the palace is built on 320 square meters. The total area of ​​the palace area is 960 square meters. He said that the ministry has allocated an additional budget of Rs 20 million in the last fiscal year for the structure and protection of the palace premises and is working on building a wall. Local leaders say that the pace of district development has been pushed back by 50 years after the headquarters was destroyed in the then Maoist attack.

Some are demanding that the historical heritage purchased in 2029 BS be turned into a 'living museum' of the war and culture of Achham. Some are adamant that the old administrative office should be operated. Although a team from the Department of Archaeology has monitored it, no concrete decision has been taken so far. Locals say that this pride of the headquarters, which was moved from Bayalpata to Mangalsen because it is in the middle of the district and has a historical palace, is now in the grip of government delay and political competition.