A team of 38 people, including Dhangadhi Sub-metropolitan Mayor Gopal Hamal, was chased away from Lampata in Bajura on Tuesday while visiting Ranisain in Bajura via Ramaroshan in Achham after visiting Api Himal Base Camp in Darchula while conducting the 'We Introduce Our Far West' campaign. 'We had only five hours left to reach Ranisain, but the residents of Humla did not allow us to go beyond Lampata and chased us back,' said Mayor Hamal. 'The wooden bridge on which we were returning was also demolished, fortunately we escaped being beaten up.' We were subjected to atrocities.'

Not only the Dhangadhi mayor's team, which was going to the Ranisain area, which is located in the eastern base camp of Saipal Himal, where there is no communication, but also the team including Bajura District Coordination Committee Chief Tulsiram Rokaya, Himali Rural Municipality Chairman Gobinda Bahadur Malla, and Chief Administrative Officer Kul Bahadur Thapa, were chased away from Lampata. Chairman Malla's team was ahead of Dhangadhi Mayor Hamal. Chief Administrative Officer Thapa was even beaten up. Chairman Malla said that he escaped with his life. 'I escaped with great difficulty,' said District Coordination Committee Chief Rokaya.

Deputy Secretary Narendra Bahadur Khati, who was in the Dhangadhi team, said that three days before the Dhangadhi and Himali Rural Municipality teams arrived, there had been a gang attack on the locals of Lampata. ‘We learned that the owner of the house in Lampata, Pema Gara Gurung, and his wife were beaten, held hostage, and robbed of food grains on the night of the 2nd. Even when we reached, his house was attacked,’ said Khati. ‘There were three groups that we did not recognize. One group surrounded them from above with stones, another with sticks, and another with a slingshot.’

One group had stolen the mobile phone of journalist Biraj Rosyara, who was on the Dhangadhi team, and forced him to delete the video. Himali Rural Municipality Chief Administrative Officer Kul Bahadur Thapa, Ward No. 3 member Pema Gara Gurung, his wife Laxmi Gurung, local Minu Kunwar, and Police Assistant Constable Ramesh Dhami were assaulted and beaten, said Ward Chairman of Himali Rural Municipality 3, Mangal Budha.

The border area of ​​Humla and Bajura is Lampata and Ranisain. The Ranisain area is the eastern base camp of Saipal and is also an attractive tourist destination. This area is also a repository of valuable herbs and wildlife. This area falls under the former Bichhya VDC, which occupies about 38 percent of Bajura's land area, and the current Himali Rural Municipality. This area, which is very remote and sparsely populated, is in the current Himali Rural Municipality-3 ward. The area is connected to Kharpunath Rural Municipality-2 of Humla.

The tribal community of Bajura is sparsely populated here. The total population here is only 810. Most of the locals live outside the village. On the other hand, Kharpunath-2 of Humla is a settlement near Thali, Raya. These settlements are about a four-hour walk from the Lampata area. Residents of Bajura have alleged that traders from the Humla area have been exploiting the herbs in this area. ‘They have been beating and robbing the residents of Bajura, not allowing them to collect herbs, and even when they do collect them, they either rob them or take them at a price they want,’ says Gobinda Bahadur Malla, chairman of Himali Rural Municipality. ‘At this time, when we were moving forward with the process of setting up a temporary police post, they resorted to violence because they saw it as an obstacle to their illegal business.’

The Sudurpaschim Province government has allocated Rs 4 million in the current fiscal year’s budget for the construction of a temporary police post building in Lampata. In the course of implementing the budget, the attack occurred when locals of Himali-3 Gumba and Lampata formed a consumer committee and started constructing the post building, according to Himali Rural Municipality. ‘In addition to destroying the building materials, the ward member of Himali-3, Pema Gara Gurung, his wife Laxmi Gurung, and Min Kunwar, who were leading the work, were brutally attacked and beaten,’ said Chairman Malla. ‘Our municipality chief was also beaten, and the police were also beaten. They were held hostage in their homes and had to be rescued by helicopter.’

This area is geographically connected to Rip village of Sarkegad rural municipality in Humla, Khagalgaun of Namkha rural municipality, and Raya and Thali villages of Kharpunath rural municipality. The local residents of these villages have been utilizing the natural resources of the Ranisain area. This area is also the main base area for grazing.’
Chairman of Kharpunath rural municipality Karna Bahadur Rawal claims that the border between the two districts is the Kawadi river. ‘If Bajura had built the police post on its side or with our consent, there would have been no dispute,’ he said. ‘We object to the post being set up with the aim of occupying our area.’

He claimed that a memorandum was even submitted to the Prime Minister’s Office to stop the construction of the post after receiving information about it. He said that the area is the Thala Community Forest Area in Humla. ‘The earlier decisions and evidence are on our side in Humla. But the latest documents are being shown by Bajura,’ said Chairman Rawal. ‘If the government investigates and decides, we have our approval. We have no objection even if a protected area is created.’

Chairman Rawal said that he has no objection if the Ranisain incident is investigated and action is taken against the culprits. Dhangadhi Mayor Hamal admitted that he was not allowed to go to Ranisain, insisting that it was wrong for him to go there. ‘Why did we have to go to the disputed Ranisain after conducting a campaign to introduce the Far West?’ Chairman Rawal said, ‘That was like adding fuel to the fire.’

Meanwhile, Hamal said that before leaving Dhangadhi, they had sent the schedule of where to stay and where to eat to the District Administration Office, Bajura. ‘The Bajura administration did not give us any information. We had to face a sudden incident after reaching Lampata,’ Hamal said, ‘We were going to go to Ranisain with the feeling of promoting the place, but the police administration misled us, we have serious objection to that.’

Even though Kharpunath of Humla claimed that a police post was being built in his area in Lampata, the Bajura side has stated that it is not true. ‘There is no connection between the border dispute and the Sino-Sino border.’ "The border area of ​​Humla and Bajura is located at a place called Sakalagna, far away from the Lampata area," said Naresh Kumar Shahi, the provincial MP for the Bajura area. "That area, including Ranisain, Gumba, Lampata, is a storehouse of valuable herbs and wildlife. Some businessmen and politicians from Humla have been dominating this resource for years. They are afraid that if a police post is established now, it will be obstructed."

The Lampata incident has also entered the Parliament. On Thursday, MPs KP Khanal, Janakraj Giri, Jayapati Rokaya and Tika Sangraula drew the government's attention to the seriousness of the incident in the House of Representatives. On Friday, MP Renu Chand raised the issue in the National Assembly. Chand said, "The Home Ministry should investigate the discussion about whether the police post was not allowed to be set up under the cover of the border dispute because it would hinder the smuggling of herbs and wildlife. The safety of tourists should be ensured." All three MPs speaking in the House of Representatives, except Rokaya, opposed the Lampata incident and said that the incident occurred due to the interests of illegal smuggling in the area.

Lampata is the last settlement in Bajura, which is located in the Himali Rural Municipality. Ranisain, the eastern base camp of Saipal, is reached in Bajura, about five hours on foot from Lampata. Ranisain is a charming tourist destination.
Suresh Chandra DC, head of the Division Forest Office, Bajura, said that despite the border dispute, the main reason for the illegal activities in the area was the Lampata incident. "A police post had started being built there as per the needs of Bajura. After the establishment of the outpost, the illegal trafficking of valuable herbs, which has been going on for years, was going to be curbed. This scandal was staged at the instigation of herbal traders. Many people know what kind of people are involved in smuggling there.'

Ranisain Bichhya, Lampata area of ​​Bajura covers 38 percent of the total area of ​​Bajura. This area is considered a repository of herbs and rare wildlife of Bajura. Although there are 11 settlements in this area, including Bam, Rumdi, Lampata, Gumba, Neta, Boudi, Kot, Kotigau, Tin, Deusain, and Yuna in Himali-3 of Bajura, the population is only 810. A former officer of the District Forest Division Office, Bajura, says that some politically connected traders from Humla are involved in the smuggling of herbs and wildlife in this area due to its low population and sparse settlement. A security guard in Bajura said that traders have built a smuggling route from this area to Hilsa without human settlements. ‘The fear that the smuggling that has been going on in the area will be exposed due to the movement and activity of tourists in Ranisain has also hindered tourists,’ said Bajura’s provincial MP Naresh Kumar Shahi.

The security agencies in Bajura have explained that efforts are being made to prevent the establishment of a police post and to prevent tourist movement in the Ranisain area as planned by herbal traders with political connections. Bajura’s Chief District Officer Dorendra Niraula says that the internal reason for not allowing a police post in the area is the fear of hindering smuggling. The security agencies in Bajura understand that efforts are being made to prevent the police post from being set up in the area as part of the plan of the politically connected herbal traders and to prevent the movement of tourists in the Ranisain area. The Ranisain area is known to have the highest quality jatamsi in Nepal. Valuable herbs such as wild garlic, red mushrooms, bitter gourd, white sugar, five-fingered yam, and poison root are found in this area. Traders often scramble for them. A security official from Bajura said that herbs are being smuggled from the Ranisain area to China.

Division Forest Office Chief Suresh Chandra DC admits that the Bajura Forest Office is not present in the area. He said that although there is a Kailash Sub-Division Office in Dhulachaur of Himali Rural Municipality, there are only three forest guards there. ‘It is not possible for three forest guards to take care of and monitor the Lampata and Ranisain areas, which are seven/eight days away from Dhulachaur,’ he said. ‘The state is not even present in the herbal reserves, which are being exploited by traders.’ After the latest dispute, there has also been a demand for the government to make the Ranisain area a protected area. The Karnali Corridor, which was blocked for two days in various places in Himali Rural Municipality of Bajura due to the Ranisain dispute between Bajura and Humla, has been reopened since Friday afternoon.

In the presence of Himali Rural Municipality Chairman Gobinda Bahadur Malla, the road blocking group Himali Youth Club has resumed road traffic with an understanding to investigate the Ranisain incident and take action against the culprits. Dhulachaur is the center of Himali Rural Municipality. Dozens of vehicles and goods vehicles traveling to Humla were stopped when the road was blocked at that place. Hundreds of passengers had to suffer due to the road blockage.

Earlier on Thursday, the Chief District Officers of Humla and Bajura had stressed the need to hold an all-party meeting in their respective districts to resolve the problem. But representatives of both districts had insisted that the Ranisain Lampata area was theirs.

Tulsiram Rokaya, head of the Bajura District Coordination Committee, says that coordination is underway with Humla. Humla District Coordination Committee Chief Shivraj Sharma said that he is going to the Home Ministry to prepare for a meeting with the heads of the concerned municipalities and the Chief District Officers of both districts to reassess the border. 'The problem should not be complicated, we should find a solution to the problem by doing things the way they have traditionally done in the presence of both parties,' he said.

Meanwhile, a team of police and armed forces is preparing to leave for Lampata area from Bajura to study the situation of locals, said District Coordination Committee Chief Rokaya. 'Since that area is a repository of all kinds of valuable herbs and wildlife found in the Himalayan region, they have decided not to allow the establishment of a police post so as not to hinder the illegal logging that has been going on for years,' said Advocate Rawat. 'There is no border dispute in that area.' Ward Chairman Mangal Budha of that area says that dozens of species of valuable herbs and rare wildlife including Yarsagumba, Jatamsi, Panchaunle, Kutki, Forest Garlic are found in that area.'