Cases / Protected area / relocation · Nepal · 2020
Chepang man dies in army custody after Chitwan park detention; homes reportedly burned
Short record: the main facts, with sources. A full case file has not been prepared.
Nature's voice · report
No measurement of the harm done to me here is on record.
Did nature suffer? Not measured.
A 24-year-old Chepang man detained by Nepal Army soldiers in Chitwan National Park died in July 2020. Reports said that two days after his death, park guards burned and demolished the homes of landless Chepang families.
What?
A Chepang man died after Nepal Army detention in Chitwan National Park in July 2020; reports say park guards then burned and demolished Chepang families’ homes. Human Rights Watch
Where?
Chitwan National Park, Nepal
When?
July 2020
Who?
Gained
None on recordLost
None on recordHarmed
- A 24-year-old Chepang man — Died after army detention, according to reports
- Landless Chepang families — Homes reportedly burned and demolished two days after the death Human Rights Watch
Why?
The sources reviewed say he was reported to have entered the park to collect snails; the reason for his detention is not stated.
How?
Detained by army soldiers guarding the park; park guards reportedly burned and demolished the homes.
6 of 6 questions answered from the record
What happened
The record, in order.
Reports say Nepal Army soldiers detained a 24-year-old Chepang man in Chitwan National Park on 16 July 2020, and that he died on 23 July.
Human Rights Watch reported the case on 28 July 2020; it says park guards burned and demolished homes of landless Chepang families two days after the death.
In court and with insurers
Every proceeding and every insurer decision on record.
Lawsuits and rulings
No court case on record. No court has ruled on this case.
Insurers
No insurer decision on record.
What we don't know
Undisclosed, unproven, untried: recorded as data.
Nature
- Not measured Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.
Record
- Insufficient Reported but not verified: a 2020 summary describes the death as an accident; who made that claim is not stated.
- Disputed The sources differ on timing: one account says the death came six days after detention, while another gives 16 July for the detention and 23 July for the death.
- Disputed Reported but not verified: a sergeant was tried; one account says a district court gave nine months for negligence in July 2021, and another says the Patan High Court gave life imprisonment on 20 February 2022. The accounts conflict.
- Insufficient Reported but not verified: the family reached a settlement, reportedly 1,000 rupees a month, and a sergeant was arrested.
- None on record The sources reviewed do not say who benefited from clearing the families’ homes, or give the outcome of any proceeding over the death or the house burnings.
Did the harm stop?
Not stated in the sources reviewed.
Who paid?
Not stated in the sources reviewed.
Sources
Voices on record: — Company or project— Government and regulators— Courts— Press and investigations✓ Communities and civil society— Researchers
Communities and civil society
- Nepal park guards accused of persecuting indigenous peopleHuman Rights Watch · 2020-07-28
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