KATHMANDU: Chief Opposition Leader and Nepali Congress Parliamentary Party Leader Bhishma Raj Angdembe has strongly criticized the government’s handling of displaced landless settlers and condemned the recent detention of youth activists.

In a public statement, Angdembe questioned Prime Minister Balen Shah’s commitment to ensuring the safe and organized resettlement of vulnerable citizens.

He highlighted that the Kirtipur holding center, where evicted families were temporarily housed, recently suffered severe waterlogging and flooding, thereby exposing families to worse hazards than before.

He argued that the state’s actions have effectively pushed vulnerable citizens out of one crisis and into an even more dangerous situation, leaving them to struggle with hunger, mud, and systemic neglect.

Furthermore, the opposition leader expressed strong objection to the detention of youth activists, including Majid Ansari, who were taken into custody by police at the Kirtipur center while attempting to monitor the conditions of the flood victims and seek administrative accountability.

Angdembe described the arrests as a direct assault on freedom of expression and democratic values, stating that suppressing citizens who ask questions reflects a troubling abuse of state power rather than a commitment to democratic oversight.