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The Security Bodies have classified voting stations in three groups in order to make voters and polling centers in Jhapa fear-free for upcoming elections to the House of Representatives. 

Chief District Officer Shiva Lal Gelal said 95 voting centers in the district have been classified as highly –sensitive. 

Out of 285 polling centers in the district, 147 voting centres have been identified as sensitive while 43 as normal.  

The district has 815 polling stations.  

Gelal added that Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, Nepal and Nepali Army would be mobilized to hold the March 5 elections in a fear-free environment. 

He stated that additional security personnel have been requested from the provincial police office, as the current situation demands greater security measures than in previous instances due to the heightened security sensitivity in Jhapa Constituency-5.

There are five constituencies as well as 713,537 voters in Jhapa. 

Two persons, including a minor died and 11 others were injured when a container truck collided with a bus at Naya Basti in Kankai Municipality-3, Jhapa along the East-West Highway on Thursday. 

The deceased have been identified as 40-year-old Sushma Rajbanshi of Bhadrapur Municipality-8 and her son 18-month-old Aarut Rajbanshi.

According to Deputy Superintendent of Police Khagendra Bahadur Khadka of the District Police Office, the accident occurred when the container (Me 1 Cha 4515), heading towards Maidhar from Biratamode, collided head-on with the bus (Na 5 Kha 2149) this morning. .

The condition of some of the injured is reported to be serious. 

Police are searching for the bus driver, while the container driver, Jaqeer Hussain (39) of Biratamode Municipality-6, has been taken into police custody for further investigation. 

A wild elephant was found dead at Dandagaun in Buddhashanti Rural Municipality-3, Jhapa district on Tuesday.

A male elephant was found dead at a farm of a local Lal Bahadur Rasaili, said Deputy Superintendent of Police at the District Police Office, Jhapa, Khagendra Bahadur Khadka.

Teams from the Area Police Office, Budhabare and the Division Forest Office, Jhapa, have reached the incident site.

Further investigation into the incident is underway, added police.

With this, two elephants were found dead in the current fiscal year so far, said Forest Officer at the Division Forest Office, Jhapa, Himal Pathak.

Similarly, four persons were killed in elephant attacks in the district in the current fiscal year so far.

A large number of temporary migrant workers from India are entering Jhapa with their families to work in chimney brick industries, but local authorities lack verified data on their arrival. The absence of reliable records has raised concerns that Bangladeshi and Rohingya nationals could also enter Nepal through the same channels.

The Armed Police Force (APF) has increased surveillance along border points in the district, citing the possibility of Bangladeshi and Rohingya citizens illegally crossing into Nepal from West Bengal. However, security officials say the lack of proper documentation and identity checks for Indian workers entering through Bhadrapur and Kakarbhitta has created operational challenges. Many workers reportedly arrive by reserved buses and proceed directly to brick kilns without undergoing verification.

APF SP Tul Bahadur Bhandari, chief of Battalion Headquarters-2 in Jhapa, said the authorities have begun collecting details of Indian migrant workers and their families employed in brick factories.

A recent district security meeting also discussed the possibility that brick kilns could be the first destination for individuals entering illegally. SP Bhandari said coordination is underway with the Jhapa Brick Industries Association to address this risk.

According to officials, Bangladeshi and Rohingya individuals in India often possess Indian Aadhaar, PAN, or voter ID cards, making identification more difficult. “Those working in brick factories may also hold Indian documents, but without accurate data on how many workers have arrived, verification becomes challenging,” SP Bhandari said.

Nepal Police is also assisting in the data collection process.

Jhapa Brick Industries Association secretary Bishnu Prasad Ghimire said 24 chimney brick industries are currently operating in the district. Most workers come from Cooch Behar and Mathabhanga areas of West Bengal, he said, adding that his factory maintains updated identity records of Indian workers, though he was unsure about practices at other factories. Each kiln employs between 50 and 200 workers, and the total number increases when children accompanying families are counted. Most of these workers, who are Bengali-speaking and predominantly Muslim, arrive between mid-November and late March.

Indian authorities have recently launched a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists in West Bengal and 12 other states. Following the start of the SIR, many Bangladeshi and Rohingya nationals who had been living secretly in West Bengal—some with illegally obtained Aadhaar, PAN, or voter ID cards—have reportedly begun leaving India out of fear of being unable to present valid documents during verification.

Over 300 children are found suffering from autism in Jhapa district alone. 

A total of 381 persons are found living with autism, out of which, over 300 are children.

Coordinator of an organization, Karuna Foundation, Nischal Ghimire, categorized the sufferers as 254 male children, 28 female children and 45 adult ones. 

The Foundation had conducted a survey and identified such a huge number in 15 local levels across the district. The organization had identified the autism patients with the support from the Ministry of Social Development in Koshi Province. Those identified with this health problem have been mainstreamed to health and education.

Similarly, there are 13,863 persons living with various sorts of disabilities in the district. The provincial ministry has been conducting a disability prevention and rehabilitation programme for five years. The programme is run also in Ilam, Morang, Sunsari, Khotang, Bhojpur, Panchthar and Sankhuwasabha districts.   

However, the disability rehabilitation program has been running in Jhapa, Taplejung and Tehrathum districts since last year, according to coordinator Ghimire. 

Nearly 100 persons suffering from vocal impairment are managed education at Mahendra Ratna Secondary School of Garamani, Birtamod and at another school of Damak. The concerned local levels have been providing therapies for free of cost to the autism sufferers.  

Police have arrested two people and started an investigation after a man was found dead near the Rekha River in Miyabari, Birtamod Municipality-7, Jhapa.

According to Deputy Superintendent of Police Bijay Shrestha of the Anarmani Area Police Office, the body of 52-year-old Anand Chaudhary, a resident of Birtamod-6, was found near Rekha River in Miyabari, Birtamod Municipality-7. 

The body has been sent to the Provincial Hospital Bhadrapur for an autopsy after completing the legal process last night. 

Meanwhile, police have arrested 48-year-old Puran Chaudhary and 32-year-old Shyam Chaudhary for investigation.

DSP Shrestha said that the necessary investigation into the incident is underway. 

A person died and 21 others were injured in a bus accident at Damak Municipality-2 in Jhapa district last night.

Of the injured people, the health condition of a passenger is critical, while 20 others went home after treatment in health facilities, according to police.  

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Khagendra Bahadur Khadka said the bus (Ba 2 Kha 1983) carrying 35 people was heading to Tandi in Morang district from Damak, Jhapa when the incident occurred.

Police said that they have taken bus driver Bhakta Bahadur Darji (39) of Miklajun in Morang district for interrogation.

Three girls drowned while fishing in the Sisne Khola in Gauradaha Municipality-9, Jhapa. 

According to police, the deceased have been identified as seven-year-old Sushma Magar and nine-year-old Swikriti Magar, daughters of local Anju Magar and 11-year-old Roshni Pariyar, daughter of Nirmala Pariyar. 

The District Police Office, Jhapa has reported that the girls drowned in the river while fishing. 

An investigation into the incident is underway, police said. 

Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Kulman Ghising inspected the flood-affected areas in Jhapa this morning. 

He visited the bridges and settlements that were damaged by the Kankai and Biring rivers in Arjundhara Municipality and Jhapa Rural Municipality. 

While returning after inspecting various locations affected by landslides in Ilam, Minister Ghising also conducted a field visit of the road connecting Kalisthan from Chiyapani via Buttabari in Arjundhara Municipality and the Mangalmadi route.

Minister Ghising inspected the bridge under construction over the Kankai Mai River, along the Postal Highway section of Jhapa Rural Municipality, as well as the small bridge at Sanomai that has been affected by the rains, said Tej Prakash Prasai, the Assistant Chief District Officer of Jhapa. 

During this visit, the Minister also engaged in a brief interaction with the flood-affected residents of Jhapa Rural Municipality-2.

The recent rain-induced disasters damaged properties worth Rs 40 million in Kankai area in Jhapa district.

Mayor of Kankai Municipality Rajendra Kumar Pokharel shared that the city witnessed property damages of Rs 40 million from the disaster that occurred in the first week of October.

The flood in Mai river in Kankai Municipality submerged almost 25 bighas of land and has damaged 800 meters of roads.

Likewise, 50 households in the municipality were affected.

Currently, the municipality is providing relief materials to the affected households with collaboration with different social organizations.

Mayor Pokharel also pledged to unveil different relief packages to the affected community on behalf of the municipality.

Meanwhile, at least 2,500 children were affected from the rain-induced disasters in the district, Assistant Chief District Officer of Jhapa Tej Prakash Prasain said.

"The affected children are being provided with educational materials. The concerned local levels have been asked to manage the textbooks for the children," Prasain added.

Floods triggered by torrential rainfall wreaked havoc in Jhapa this year.

More than 12,000 people from around 3,500 households have been displaced this year due to floods.

The Kankai Mai and Mechi rivers crossed the danger level on Saturday and Sunday.

According to the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, the water level in the Kankai river had reached 5.61 meters.

Kankai river’s alert level is 3.8 meters and the danger level is 4.3 meters.

Lokraj Dhakal, President of Nepal Red Cross Society Jhapa, said that the water level of Kankai river had reached 5.4 meters in 2017, and this year it has exceeded that level, causing a huge damage.

Similarly, the water level of the Mechi river had reached 114.84 meters.

The alert level of the Mechi river is 113.8 meters and the danger level is 114.3 meters.

Hundreds of houses have been submerged as the floodwaters of the Kankai Mai gushed into the settlements.

More than 6,000 people from around 1,500 households in wards 1, 2 and 7 of Jhapa Rural Municipality have been displaced. They have been relocated to safer places.

DSP Khagendra Bahadur Khadka of the District Police Office, Jhapa, said that a person has been found dead so far.

Heavy rain on October 4 inundated at least 450 houses in Jhapa. 

District Police Office Spokesperson Deputy Superintendent of Police, Khagendra Bahadur Khadka, said the rescue efforts are underway with the help of the Nepal Police, Armed Police Force  personnel and the locals.

So far, 100 families have been safely evacuated.  

Similarly, flooding from the local Kali Stream at Mechinagar-6 disrupted the traffic along the East-West Highway. 

Similarly, the flooded Sukuna River swept a culvert pipe, further affecting the transportation. 

According to Spokesperson Khadka, efforts are in place to resume the traffic. 

The Thulo Mai River entered the settlement, displacing 140 people of 56 households. They have shifted to local Kuwadi Secondary School. 

Similarly, the Mai River inundated 350 houses at Shibasatakshi-4, 5, 6 and 7. 

The river has also affected the settlements in Jhapa-1, 6 and 7.

Likewise, some 25 families have been taking shelter with their relatives after being displaced by the flood in Bhadrapur municipality-15. 

A settlement between the Sattighatta and Jyamiregadhi in Mechinagar-15 has been waterlogged, putting around 25 houses at risk.

A person died after being attacked by a wild elephant in Khalbadi, Birtamod Municipality-7, Jhapa last night. 

A man of around 36 years of age, whose identity is yet to be ascertained, died in the incident, said the District Police Office spokesperson and Deputy Superintendent of Police Khagendra Bahadur Khadka.

The police said that the locals saw the man's body at 6:20 this morning and informed them. 

After receiving information about the incident, a police team was deployed from the Area Police Office, Anarmani, for further investigation and legal proceedings, the District Police Office, Jhapa said.

Seven prisoners, who escaped from different prisons across the country, have been arrested in Jhapa district.

Acting Information Officer of District Police Office, Jhapa, Prabin Shrestha said that five male and two female prisoners, who escaped from the Central Jail in Sundhara, Jhumka in Sunsari and Kaski Jail on September 9, were nabbed.     

Shrestha said that 28 year olds Ruksar Khatun and Yeksara Khatun of Gauradaha Municipality-5, who escaped from the Central Jail in Sundhara, were held. The two had come to the police contacts after the government issued a notice asking the inmates to return to the jail. Two other prisoners from the central jail were also nabbed by the police in Jhapa.  

Likewise, Dinesh Soren (33) of Kankai Municipality-6 in the district was arrested from his home. Soren, who was jailed in Kaski Prison, was arrested by the police based on the information shared by his neighbours.   

Furthermore, an Indian citizen named Nabal Kishor (23) was handed over to the Area Police Office at Kechana in the district by the Indian Police after his arrest at Kishangunj in India.  

Similarly, prisoner Bal Bahadur Rai (45) of Kankai Municipality-4, who escaped from Jhumka Jail, was handed over to the police by his family. 

A large number of prisoners had escaped after vandalizing the jail buildings in many districts in the wake of the Gen-Z protests.

As per the reports, some prisoners are in police contact and some others informed they would be getting back to the prison within a few days. 

The police administration is searching for those who have neither returned nor are in contact, it is said.

As many as 92 inmates, who escaped from the prison and police posts in various places of the district during the Gen Z protests on September 9, have not yet come to contact, the District Police Office Jhapa said. 

The absconding inmates included 36 from the Anarmani Area Police Office, 51 from the Damak Area Police Office and five from the Jhilmil Area Police Office. 

According to Jhapa Police Spokesperson Khagendra Bahadur Khadka, search for the prisoners who escaped from the jails is on as they have not yet come to contact. 

The protesters had set ablaze and vandalized the police offices in Damak, Birtamod, Jhilmil, and Kakadbhitta in the district. 

Up to 129 mm of rain has been measured to have taken place in different places of Jhapa including Anarmani, Chandragadhi and Kechana in the last 24 hours.

As a result, residents living in coastal areas of Kachankawal, Bardashi, Jhapa, Gauriganj and Kankai municipalities have been urged to remain alert.

Sirens installed with the help of the National Disaster Risk Reduction Authority in Bhagdubba of Bardashi Rural Municipality-3 and Pindalbari of Kachankawal Rural Municipality-5 have started sounding.

A similar early warning siren system is also operational in Kuwadi of Jhapa Rural Municipality and Keybari of Gauriganj Rural Municipality-5.

Kankai Municipality Mayor Rajendra Kumar Pokharel said that the level of water in the Kankai River in the municipal area is high and the surrounding areas have been put on alert.

According to Jhapa Chief District Officer Gopal Adhikari, immediate monitoring of high-risk areas, rescue and relief preparations have been made in coordination with the District Administration Office, security agencies and local levels. (RSS)