KATHMANDU: Two youths stand stiffly at the entrance of the Assembly Hall of Diprung Chuichumma Rural Municipality in Yangsolatar, Khotang. They are wearing a uniform that is a mix of dark green and brown and a beret cap. Another youth wearing the same uniform enters the hall behind the Rural Municipality Chairman and Deputy Chairman, carrying a thick file in his hand from outside. The hall is full of spectators. The chairman, deputy chairman, and secretary sit lined up on the stage. The uniformed youths stand on their right and left in an alert posture. They remain busy serving the chairman and deputy chairman throughout the program.

This scene is from the Village Assembly of Diprung Chuichumma held on June 24, 2024. And the youths deployed in the service of the chairman and deputy chairman are the Rural Municipal Police. There are 11 Rural Municipal Police in this rural municipality. They have been recruited on contract service in the ranks of Assistant Sub-Inspector, Head Constable, and Constable. They walk in front of and behind the elected representatives. They salute the people’s representatives. They stand in an alert posture and guard during assemblies and conventions. In addition, they are deployed for revenue collection and even for maintaining peace and security. They have received short-term training from the Nepal Police, including saluting, using a baton to stop a crowd, and striking below the knee during chaos. Rojan Rai, Assistant Sub-Inspector of the Rural Municipal Police, says, “Our main work currently is revenue collection, facilitating social security allowances, attending the programs of the chairman and deputy chair, and coordinating with the police to carry out work.”

The Rural Municipality Police Act (2017) has specified 12 duties and responsibilities for the Rural Municipality Police personnel. Implementation of the rural municipality’s policies, laws, standards, and decisions is the number one priority. Following that are the security of movable and immovable property, prevention and control of encroachment on public property, and so on. It is also stated that they will manage security for local-level assemblies, ceremonies, traditions, and festivals. However, they are seen in various pictures and videos doing tasks such as standing stiffly in municipal assemblies, carrying the diaries of the chairman and deputy chairman, carrying flower garlands, and offering salutes.

Local bodies have been accused of focusing more on their own convenience than on basic matters of citizens like health and education. Lately, the Rural Municipal and Municipal Police also seem to be recruited more for convenience than for necessity. Let’s look at the educational aspect of Diprung Chuichumma Rural Municipality itself. Last year, the results of the Secondary Education Examination (SEE) of three schools were zero. There is a shortage of teachers in community schools. The number of students is declining. Out of 18 community schools, 15 lack teachers, especially for teaching mathematics and science. The rural municipality that could not hire necessary subject teachers is seen recruiting and deploying rural municipal police in various works.

These police are engaged in tasks ranging from border security to collecting taxes on stone and gravel, reporting incidents to themselves, and even arrests and rescues. Lokendra Rai, chairman of Diprung Chuichumma Rural Municipality, says the local body is also working on educational reform. He says, “We recruited the Rural Municipal Police because there was a need. The local level is also a part of government. We formed the Rural Municipal Police using the authority granted by the Constitution and law. If another law comes later, we will act accordingly.”

Rural municipal police post of Diprung Chuichumma Rural Municipality. Photo: Baburam Bishwakarma/Nepal News

It is not just Diprung Chuichumma; most local units across the country are recruiting their own police and deploying them in tasks ranging from saluting to crowd management, tax collection, and maintaining peace and security. Golanjor Rural Municipality in Sindhuli has even given its police the authority to act as bodyguards for officials and employees and even the power to arrest people and use force. “‘Arrest and detain a person who is required to be arrested and detained according to the law’ is written in the Golanjor Rural Municipality Police Act, 2019.” The Act also entrusts the Rural Municipal Police with the responsibility of regulating and monitoring national and local pride projects.

There are three Rural Municipal Police in Golanjor. According to the Act, the Rural Municipal Police Chief receives the salary and benefits equivalent to an Assistant Sub-Inspector, and the other two receive that of a Head Constable of Nepal Police. There is a provision that the local unit can recruit constables as needed.

Shankha Raj Baral, Chairman of Golanjor Rural Municipality, admits that while the health sector is improving, not much work has been done in educational reform. When asked why police were recruited and deployed for bodyguard and arrest duties instead of focusing on basic issues like education and health, Chairman Baral says he hasn’t even had time to properly review the act, which was formulated before he came into office. “Whatever is written in the Act, we have not used the Rural Municipal Police as bodyguards. No one has been arrested either. We have no lust for salutes. They are local boys. They don’t even listen to us,” he says.

The malpractice of recruiting unnecessary police is more prevalent in Karnali Province. Local units here decided not to renew the contract period of employees starting from July 17 of the fiscal year 2023/24, citing low internal revenue. An intense protest erupted in Gurans Rural Municipality in Dailekh against that decision. Five Nepal police officers and two employees were injured in the clash. The police controlled the incident by firing shots in the air.

Local residents had protested when the recruitment of Rural Municipal Police on contract service was about to begin shortly after the decision not to renew the contract period of employees. The local unit staffing chart (2017) available on the Gurans Rural Municipality’s website shows a total quota of 40 Rural Municipal Police, with five in each ward.

In the fiscal year 2024/25, out of the allocated budget of Rs 679 million, only Rs 7.4 million was collected as internal revenue. Current expenditure was 72.23 percent. However, capital expenditure was only 31.43 percent. The annual internal income is only around Rs 10 million. This area is also a settlement for the Raute community (a nomadic traveling ethnic group of Nepal). There is much work to be done for the development of the nomadic human race, the Raute.

Kathmandu Metropolitan Police. Photo: Bikram Rai/Nepal News

The population of this Gurans Rural Municipality is 21,189. This is the data from the National Census, 2021. Security agencies, including the Nepal police and armed police, are present in the rural municipality area. No major security challenge is visible. However, local residents protested, claiming that the police were recruited only for the vanity of the elected representatives. Gurans Rural Municipality Spokesperson Dipendra Wali says, “It has been established by law, and rural municipal police have not been recruited unnecessarily.”

Rural municipalities in Karnali, including Dungeshwor, Thatikandh, Shubhakalika, Shivalaya, and Chaukune, and municipalities like Tripurasundari, Raskot, and Chamunda Bindrasaini, had removed contract employees. These very local bodies later recruited rural and municipal police personnel on contract service.

These are just a few examples. Rural and municipal governments across the country are unnecessarily increasing expenses by recruiting their own police in this manner. However, the National Association of Rural Municipalities in Nepal does not have the exact data on how many local units have recruited police. Most have already appointed police, feeling the necessity, says Rup Narayan Dhakal, Monitoring, Evaluation, and Data Management Officer of the Association. “Since the Constitution itself grants the authority, slowly all local units will recruit police. Most have already done so,” he says.

Rural municipalities have introduced acts to keep such personnel ranging from a minimum of three to 40 people. Municipalities have recruited from seven upwards, and metropolitan cities have recruited more than a hundred. Kathmandu Metropolitan City is preparing to increase its police personnel from 300 to 500.

The Local Government Operation Act, 2017, subsection 2 of Section 11, specifies the duties, responsibilities, and rights of the rural and municipal authorities. Clause (a) of this subsection has a provision regarding the formation of the Municipal Police. However, there is no uniformity in the Police Acts made by the local units. Some have given the Rural Municipal Police the authority to take action themselves. Some are allowed to even arrest people. The police recruited by the municipalities also frequently cause controversies due to activities like using force.

About two years ago, the Metropolis Police of Biratnagar Metropolitan City put a wheel lock on a city safari vehicle parked on the road in front of the Koshi Hospital. Rajkumar Yadav, provincial vice president of JSP in Koshi Province, requested them to remove the safari vehicle parked in front of his medical shop. However, the municipal police did not comply. During that time, Yadav was arrested and taken to the Municipal Police office. The party organized a protest regarding the issue. The dispute was settled after Mayor Nagesh Koirala apologized on behalf of the municipal police.

Rural municipal police at a village assembly in Diprung Chuichumma Rural Municipality, Khotang. Photo Courtesy: Facebook page of the rural municipality

In Nepal, the Nepal Police number about 80,000, the Armed Police 37,000, and the Army 90,000. If local unit police are recruited in every local unit, an additional 15,000 to 20,000 personnel will be added. This duplicates the work of the police. Moreover, the financial burden on the state treasury increases. Even if Rs 30,000 per month is paid as salary to an additional 15,000 people, the annual expenditure exceeds Rs 5 billion.

Former Inspector General of Police Dhruba Bahadur Pradhan says that the initial concept of municipal police was proposed to be different from the current practice. At that time, it was suggested to form a City Guard. He says that since that suggestion was not accepted, the municipal police are being operated in a disorganized manner.

Rural Municipal and Municipal Police not only receive training from the Nepal Police but also copy the ranks and insignia. For example, the Dungeshwor Rural Municipal Police Act (2023) of Dailekh has established ranks and insignia similar to those of the Nepal Police. The insignia of the Rural Municipal Police Inspector is a crossed Khukuri and baton on the shoulder. The Sub-Inspector’s is two stars on the shoulder, the Assistant Sub-Inspector’s is one star on the shoulder, the Constable’s is three stripes on the shoulder, and the Constable is said to have only a ribbon on the shoulder.

Gangajamuna Rural Municipality of Dhading has given the police the power to take action. Section 5 (13) of the Rural Municipal Police (Management and Operation) Procedure (2020) on service contracts has a provision to take action against people who sell or distribute unauthorized alcoholic beverages or create a ruckus after consuming them.

Kathmandu Metropolitan City has designated ranks for municipal police ranging from police assistant to constable to SSP. The rank structure and insignia have also been copied from the police. Not only that, the municipal police were recently given riot control training against the law. This is drawing criticism that the Metropolitan City is moving toward a strategy of using force. This training is usually given to the police and armed police. Former Inspector General of Police Pradhan says, “Our suggestion was not listened to at that time. The result of the Ministry of Home Affairs not trusting the Nepal Police to play a guardianship role is that the work of the Nepal Police is now being duplicated in the rural municipalities and municipalities. This creates confusion among the general public.”

Sub-sections 6 and 7 of Article 57 of the Constitution state that the laws made by the Village Assembly or Municipal Assembly must not conflict with the provincial and federal laws. It is stated that if there is a conflict, it will be invalid to the extent of the conflict. However, the Federal Police Act has not been issued yet. Due to this, even though some provinces have made laws, they have not been able to form a provincial police. The local units, however, are using the exclusive authority given by the Constitution to rapidly recruit rural municipal and municipal police.

The Local Government Operation Act states that the rural and municipal governments can make laws on matters within their jurisdiction. Similarly, municipal police is the number one item on the list of local-level rights in Schedule 8 of the Constitution. The rural and municipal governments have moved forward based on these grounds.

Laxmi Devi Pandey, president of the National Association of Rural Municipalities, says that since the municipal police fall under the exclusive authority of the local level in the constitution’s schedule, they are recruiting police using that authority. She says, “The Constitution has given 22 exclusive rights to the local level. No one can question those rights. If anyone questions them, it is a protest against the Constitution and federalism.”

Former Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police Hemant Malla says that attention should be given to whether the recruitment of rural municipal and municipal police is a necessity when security agencies like the police and armed police are already in place, or whether other issues are more important. “Some have recruited police not out of necessity, but for their own vanity, such as carrying their bags or saluting them. Decisions should be based on necessity, rather than blindly copying others,” he says.

Use of force against the law

Legally, the authority to use force belongs to the Nepal police, armed police, and the army as needed. However, the Rural Municipal and Municipal Police also use force against the law.

A clash occurred between sidewalk vendors and the Metropolitan Police in Sundhara, Kathmandu, on February 28, 2024. The dispute escalated after the Metropolitan Police used a baton charge while removing vendors from the sidewalk. In that incident, 15 people from both sides were injured. The arrested vendors claimed that the Metropolitan Police also kicked and struck them with batons after putting them in the vehicle.

Incidents of using force frequently occur in Kathmandu. Incidents of citizens being beaten up in other places are also occasionally made public. Former DIG Malla says he has also witnessed incidents where the municipal police unnecessarily used force on the street. He says it has been observed that they seize vendors’ goods without even keeping a record of them. He says, “Municipal Police are also not accountable. In some situations, they have even exercised the authority of the Nepal Police. This shows that wrong practices are taking place.”

Municipal Police are also used for a show of power. Mayor Balendra Shah of Kathmandu deployed this force last year to prevent Chief Administrative Officer Saroj Guragain from entering the office. However, the Metropolitan Police Act (2023) gives the authority to deploy the Metropolitan Police to the Chief Administrative Officer himself. But after preventing the administrative officer from entering on the mayor’s verbal order, Municipal Police Chief Rajnath Pandey became embroiled in controversy. Guragain suspended Pandey for six months. This dispute reached the court. A division bench of judges Rishi Raj Bhandari and Dilli Ratna Shrestha of the Patan High Court ordered on June 18, 2025, not to proceed with the suspension.

Similarly, there are plenty of examples where municipal mayors in other local units also deployed municipal police to punish opponents. Renu Kushwaha, Deputy Mayor of Gaushala Municipality, Mahottari, was not allowed to enter the office on June 17, 2024. Municipal Police were deployed to stop her, as she was in a dispute with Mayor Dipendra Mahato.

Rural municipal police welcoming the chairman of Diprung Chuichumma Rural Municipality. Photo Courtesy: Facebook page of the rual municipality

Such problems are seen across the country. Mayor Harka Sampang of Dharan Sub-metropolitan City, Sunsari, sent the Municipal Police in June 2024 to dismantle the wire mesh installed with the provincial government’s budget at the Khahare Khola in Ward No. 13 of the sub-metropolis. When local residents protested, Municipal Police Chief Bishnu Koirala was punished by Sampang for returning without dismantling the mesh. He sent other municipal police to dismantle the mesh. The police arrested Suresh Magrati, the municipal police officer who followed his instruction.

Advocate Omprakash Aryal, who was once a legal advisor to Kathmandu Metropolitan City, says that the Municipal Police was established not for peace and security but for peace and order. He says the current practice shows incidents of normal use of force based on necessity. He says, “In some cases, there have been incidents of using force for self-defense.”

The concept of municipal police is believed to have originated during the time of the then mayor of Kathmandu, PL Singh, in 1995. Some municipalities emulated this and practiced it. However, after the provision for municipal police was made in the Local Government Operation Act, 2017, based on the Constitution issued in 2015, rural and municipal governments across the country are recruiting police.

The police have a systematic ‘Use of Force’ provision. This includes provisions like starting with persuasion, using water cannons, and shooting below the knee. But on what basis should the Rural Municipal and Municipal Police use force? Who should regulate them? Such questions have been raised repeatedly. Similarly, there is a constant debate about whether they should use ranks and insignia similar to the police. Former Inspector General Pradhan says the government has not taken this seriously.

“The issue of municipal police has been controversial since the time the act was being drafted. It is wrong to copy the Nepal Police when they should be kept as city guards based on necessity,” he says. “This creates confusion among citizens and makes it easier for the powerful to misuse their power.”

The National Association of Rural Municipalities President Laxmi Devi Pandey claims that local units have done much social responsibility work through the Rural Municipal and Municipal Police. She says they are managing judicial work, coordinating assemblies and conferences, generating resources, ensuring neighborhood safety, and managing disasters.

“The Municipal Police have done the most work during disasters. Education and health must also be strengthened. But it is wrong to say that the Rural Municipal and Municipal Police are not necessary. If there are some problems, they can be corrected, but this is an essential matter,” she says.

Former DIG Malla, however, suggests that if rural municipalities and municipal police are necessary, laws should be made accordingly. He says, “Currently, rural municipal and municipal police have their own laws across the country. To bring uniformity, it is necessary for the Federal Act to regulate them. Otherwise, anarchy will ensue.”

Advocate Omprakash Aryal also says that while the Municipal Police fall under the exclusive authority of the local unit and can be recruited by making laws, it is essential to maintain uniformity to prevent duplication with the Police. He says, “Municipal Police are necessary, but not for crime investigation. It is necessary for the Federal Act or the Constitution itself to specify basic standards and some guidelines for them to act as a supplement in maintaining law and order.”