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A 25-year-old man was found dead in a swimming pool in Chitwan on Monday night.

According to Rabindra Khanal, Information Officer at the District Police Office, Lokesh Mahato of Bharatpur metropolis-22, was found dead in the swimming pool at the Dahakhani-based View Resort in Ichchhakamana Rural Municipality-7.

It has been reported that he had gone swimming with his colleagues, who later found him dead.  

Following the incident, police have detained them for further investigation into the case.

A person killed his daughter and nephew by attacking them with a sharp weapon in Chitwan on Friday.

Leela Raj Giri (42) of Bharatpur Metropolitan City also tried to kill himself after murdering his daughter and nephew.

Giri attacked his seven-year-old daughter Prabha Giri and five-year-old nephew while they were getting ready for school, said Superintendent of Police at the District Police Office, Govinda Puri. 

All of them were brought to Chitwan Medical College for treatment where the two children died during the course of treatment while the condition of Giri is serious, added Puri.

Giri is a former soldier and was reportedly suffering from mental illness, said Puri.

The bird census conducted in the wetlands in eastern Chitwan has concluded with the recordings of the presence of 55 species.

The census was held in collaboration with the Bird Education Society and Nepalese Ornithological Union on January 6-7.

This time, two more species of birds:  Kalo Tauke Ganga Chil (Black-headed Gull) and Raja Gangachil (Pallas's Gull) were found here, according to Bird Education Society's education coordinator ornithologist Basu Bidari.

The census was conducted along the area from Lothar to Darai Botetal, from Gaidhawa (Jindagani Ghat) to Saurahaghat, Saurahaghat to Kasara Bridge, Tamor Lake, Lami Lake, Bish Hajari Lake, Bhandara Machhapokhare, Budhi Rapti Dhungare river and Patana Lake.

A total of 7,150 birds were traced during the census and among them, 4107 were ruddy shelducks.

Comparatively this time, the population of shelducks has slightly decreased as they numbered 4,304 last year. 

Increasing pollution, water-base extractions and increasing human movement and encroachment have been noticed as growing threats to birds' habitats.

In areas where pollution is less, relatively more birds have been found. 

The Society has been conducting the census of birds since 1987. The census of aquatic birds takes place in 35 countries in East Asia, including in Nepal, in January.

So far, 652 species of birds have been recorded in Chitwan and this year 159 species have been traced while the species of bird dependent on water is 55.

Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) cadres have clashed with police in Chitwan today. The skirmish took place as the RSP party workers were staging a demonstration calling for the release of RSP President Rabi Lamichhane.

Eight policemen have sustained injuries in the course of the clash, said Gautam Mishra, the Superintendent of Police at the District Police Office Chitwan. The clash occurred as the demonstrators tried to block the way leading to the Government Attorney Office.

SP Mishra said the police had to use teargas and water cannons to stop the demonstrators after they started throwing stones at the police.  The injured police personnel are undergoing treatment at Bharatpur Hospital.

"Police have not used force. The eight policemen have been injured due to stones thrown by the demonstrators," SP Mishra said.

According to him, the clash ensued after the demonstrators breached the prohibited area in front of the District Police Office while calling for Lamichhane's release.

RSP Chitwan President Krishna Bhusal said 16 demonstrators have been injured in the clash and they are being treated at the Bharatpur Community Hospital, the Narayani Community Hospital, the Dev Hospital, among other health facilities.

The Government Attorney Office is recording statements of the RSP President in a case of cooperative fraud.

Police on Tuesday brought Lamichhane to Chitwan from Kathmandu to record his statement as he faces charges of misappropriating the money of depositors at the Sahara Cooperatives here.

The RSP President faces charges of siphoning off Rs 108 million from Sahara Cooperatives to Gorkha Media where he was the Managing Director.

In recent times, cooperatives have faced criticism, but women-led initiatives have proven their potential to succeed. The Women’s Small Farmers Agricultural Cooperative Organization, located in Khairahani Municipality-10, Kathar, Chitwan, stands as a testament to this success.  

While savings and credit cooperatives often face challenges, most agricultural cooperatives, like this one, operate efficiently. According to Managing Director Purnamaya Adhikari, the cooperative’s strength lies in its honesty, transparency, and the commitment of its all-women membership.  

When asked about achieving a 100 percent loan recovery rate, Adhikari said, “A woman cannot succeed without family support. Women are generally more cautious about debt. They ensure loans are utilized properly, knowing they must repay them to maintain their social standing.”

Adhikari explained that loans are issued only after thorough discussions in group meetings held at the ward level, in the presence of cooperative employees. The process includes monitoring the purpose and progress of the borrowers, ensuring funds are used effectively.  

The cooperative, which has 1,835 female members, also allowed five widowers to join after their wives' deaths. It has transformed 125 members into entrepreneurial farmers and supported 195 in animal husbandry and agriculture, while 235 have ventured into other businesses.  

The cooperative provides loans at 14 percent interest for education, real estate, and vehicles, but rural enterprise loans are offered at a concessional nine percent interest rate. Through the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) Rural Enterprise Finance Project, members can access loans of up to Rs 5m at subsidized rates. The cooperative itself received Rs 20m for setting up a rice mill, which processes and packages locally grown rice.  

The mill has resolved long-standing issues of market access and unfair pricing for farmers. Local farmer Kamala Bhandari shared her experience: “After the mill started, we didn’t have to search for buyers or accept unfair prices. I’ve been able to send my children to school with my agricultural income, and they’re now employed.”

Cooperative President Geeta KC highlighted how rural enterprise loans have empowered members by eliminating middlemen and ensuring fair prices. She remarked, “Previously, farmers suffered from middlemen’s exploitation. The subsidized loan enabled us to run the mill and secure fair prices for our members.”

The ADB’s National Director for Nepal, Arno Koshwa, praised the initiative, saying it has commercialized farming and liberated farmers from exploitative practices. “Business requires investment, knowledge, and skills, and this cooperative has successfully combined all three,” Koshwa said during a project monitoring visit.  

The Women’s Small Farmers Agricultural Cooperative Organization is not just a strong example of women’s empowerment but also a model for agricultural cooperatives striving for sustainability and farmer welfare.

One more person has died from dengue infection in Chitwan.

The deceased has been identified as a 41-year-old man from Chanauli of Bharatpur Metropolitan city-20.

He died during the course of treatment at the Bharatpur Hospital on Tuesday.

He had a fever when he visited the hospital for treatment on Friday and was admitted to the hospital with a ventilator support, according to Dr Kalyan Sapkota, a senior physician at Bharatpur Hospital.

He said the man had a severe case of dengue and died from multi-organ failure followed by excessive internal bleeding.

On Saturday, a 63-year-old man from Bharatpur-2 succumbed to the dengue fever at Chitwan Medical College.

Among the patients who came for treatment in various hospitals of the district, 588 people have been diagnosed with dengue infection.

Out of the 2,394 patients who came to the hospital, 588 were found to be infected with dengue. Of the infected, 417 are from Chitwan, while 171 are from outside the district, informed Ram KC, vector controller of Public Health Office, Chitwan.

He said, “Mosquitoes bite two hours before sunrise and two hours before sunset. Those who come in contact with mosquitoes more during that time are at risk of infection." Since July, 236 people have been infected with dengue in Ichchhakamana Rural Municipality.

Similarly, 107 people have been infected in Bharatpur Metropolitan City-11 in Khairhani, 49 in Ratnanagar, three in Madi, three in Rapti and eight in Kalika Municipality, KC informed.

According to him, there are 225 women and 192 men among the infected people found in the district.

KC said that dengue is seen especially in August and October because it creates a favorable environment for mosquitoes when there will be rain and sun shine simultaneously. He said, "Now the infection has started to be seen since the beginning of July."

Police have arrested four people on the charge of killing a rhino in Chitwan.

Chitwan National Park's Chief Conservation Officer Dil Bahadur Purja Pun said that they were arrested on the charge of killing a rhino by snaring it in an electric trap at Bharatpur Metropolitan City-26 in Chitwan district recently.

According to Pun, a 13-year-old female pachyderm was found dead in an electric snare that was planted by the villagers to capture wild boars that frequented fields near settlement and ate up crops including maize.

Further investigation into the incident was underway, he said.

At first it appeared that the rhino died due to natural causes but an autopsy of the dead one revealed that it died of electrocution. Police held four persons suspected of killing the pachyderm.

"Although the horns and hooves of the protected animal are safe, activities like injuring, chasing and killing wild animals fall under the smuggling," he explained.

Two suspected ones were arrested on July 23 and two others nabbed on July 25 as part of the investigation. The arrested ones are remanded for additional six days under the Act relating to the Protected Wildlife Smuggling.

The Act has a provision of fine ranging from Rs 500 thousand to Rs 1 million and imprisonment for a term from 5 to 15 years for those involved in such activities.

A female endangered one-horned rhino was found dead at Bhagadi, Bharatpur Metropolitan City-26 in the buffer zone of the Chitwan National Park today.

Park information officer Ganesh Prasad Tiwari said that the carcass of a female rhino was found at the Park's Kalabanjar Buffer Zone Users Community Forest. According to him, the horn and hooves of the dead rhino are intact and no signs of wounds are seen on the animal's body. Similarly, no suspicious articles were found at the location.

Based on this, Tiwari said, the rhino might have died of natural causes, probably due to age.

A team of veterinarians from the CNP has already reached the site and the cause of the rhino's death will be known after the team carries out a postmortem, he said.

As many as 115 people were killed in various road accidents in Chitwan in a year.

The human casualties took place during the last fiscal year from mid-July 2023 to mid-July 2024.

The highway sections saw a higher number of accidents and fatalities than those on the inner roads in the district. Among the deceased, 92 were men, 19 women and four children. A total of 445 vehicles had met with accidents during the period.

Chief of the District Traffic Police Office, Suresh Subedi said 832 people were injured in the road mishaps.

A total of 250 vehicles had met with accidents on inner roads of the district in the last one year. At least 50 people were killed and 382 others injured in road accidents in the interior area. At least 57 people were killed in road accidents along the East-West Highway, Narayangadh-Muglin road section and Prithvi Highway.

At least 26 people were killed and 204 others injured in 96 accidents along the East-West Highway. Similarly, 21 people were killed in 55 accidents on the Narayangadh-Muglin road section. A total of 151 people were injured in the incidents, according to the Chitwan traffic official data.

At least 10 people were killed and 62 others injured in 18 road accidents along the Prithvi Highway in Chitwan. A total of 26 accidents occurred in the urban road section of the district during the same period.

Eight people were killed and 33 others injured in the accident. A total of 303 vehicles met with accidents in the district in the fiscal year 2079/80 BS.

A total of 78 people were killed and 581 others injured in the accidents. Subedi said, "No matter how much work has been done to reduce vehicle accidents, it has not been effective". A total of 663 vehicles had met with road mishaps in the district in the last fiscal year.

Ramprit Yadav was a ranger working in Chitwan in the late 1960s before Chitwan National Park (CNP) was established. He later became a warden of CNP. “In 2026 BS (1969),” he told me, “our team conducted a survey to establish the national park without consulting the Tharus of Chitwan.” He thinks this was a mistake. CNP officials should have consulted the Tharus because their traditional practices helped create a habitat for Chitwan’s famous rhinos and tigers.

Yadav credits the Tharus for teaching him about conservation.“In 1973, when I started working as a member of the national park, I was only 22 years old. I had only read about trees and plant conservation in college courses. For the first 10-15 years, I learned how to conserve wildlife from the indigenous Tharus of Chitwan, which was very useful in conserving wildlife.'”

When CNP was created in 1973, the army prevented Tharu men and women who lived nearby from using the areas inside the park that they had relied upon and cared for, for generations. In 2003, the park was expanded in the east by removing Padampur VDC, where 10,000 people, mostly the Tharus, lived.  When we look at the history of Chitwan, we see that Tharu traditional methods helped make Chitwan a good area for wildlife in two ways: Wetland management and grassland management. After removing the Tharus, the park wetlands and grasslands suffered. That meant the Tharus suffered and so did rhinos and tigers. Conservationists like to talk about “win-win” scenarios. This was “lose-lose.”

The indigenous Tharu community of Old Padampur had been cultivating the flatlands for generations by creating a canal from the Churia Hills to the south. The traditional way of irrigation from the canal brought tree leaves as manure to the farmlands, which helped greatly in enhancing agricultural production. After using the water they needed, the Tharus used to divert the leftover water inside the national park, which helped give new life to the park’s wetlands. The conservation of wetlands created a habitat for rhinos and birds.

Before 1973, the small ponds inside the forest were routinely dug out by the indigenous Tharus during Chaitra, Baishakh, and Jestha to make the ponds better for fishing. This practice helped in water conservation in the wetlands. But after the establishment of CNP in 1973, all these activities were stopped by the park officials and the small ponds dried up.

The eastern parts of Old Padampur encompassed Jitpur and Amelia, and the western part was Jayamangala, Bankatta, and Bhawanipur. At that time, as a result of the conservation of wetlands in the eastern parts of CNP, the rhino census report showed a good number of rhinos in that area. However, comparing the recent rhino census in 2021 to the time when Old Padampur was inhabited, the count has significantly decreased. In 2003, the park was expanded but the number of rhinos dropped.

Source: Rhino Count 2021

Paugi Chaudhary, a 70-year-old resident of Old Padampur, reminisces, “When I was in Padampur, I used to bring 10-15 kg of fish and 20-25 kg of Ghonghi (snails) from the paddy field in a day, but after the relocation from inside the park, all those things disappeared.”

Bal Singh Chaudhary (84) recalls, “When Old Padampur was inside the national park, there were 15-20 rhinos in one pond inside the park. With the removal of Padampur and other Tharu villages from the national park area in the late 1990s, all those large ponds have dried up.”

According to Ram Giri Chaudhary, a nature guide at CNP, “Nowadays, you can see 1-2 rhinos in the ponds inside the park only with difficulty.”

Before the establishment of the national park, each Tharu village used to have 300–400 domestic cattle (cows and oxen), and those cattle used to graze in the park’s grasslands. At that time, grasslands made up 20 percent of the park.

“Before the establishment of the national park,” says ex-warden Ramprit Yadav, “the indigenous Tharu people managed the national park in two ways: Firstly, they grazed their domestic animals inside the park and secondly, they harvested the grass for the construction of their traditional houses, once a year.”

Tharu people also used to set fire to the grassland. Only after lighting fire, it was easy to cut grass, and only after setting fire did new grass grow. This helped in forest management as well as in wildlife conservation. It created a habitat for rhinos and deer. Ramprit Yadav says, “Earlier, all Tharu houses were made of reeds, and they used to build temporary houses on the river banks for three months of the year, and cut and burn reeds in the forest during the three winter months—Mangsir, Poush and Magh. This helped a lot in managing the grasslands in the forest.”

According to Aashis Gurung, information officer for the National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC), “After burning the reeds, the calcium, magnesium, and nitrogen from the reeds mix with the soil, helping the new grass to grow. This is why the condition of the grasslands in the National Park is better where the grass is burned than where it is cut by machines.”

The ban on grazing cattle and cutting grass and reeds for house construction (imposed in 1973 and 2003), along with the ban on controlled burning, hurt the grasslands. A 2016 Chitwan National Park report shows only 6.42 percent of the grasslands remained. Grasslands are crucial for rhinos and other park wildlife. According to the director of NTNC, Chiren Pokharel, “Before removal of the Tharu community from the park, the population of rhino and other animals in that area was statistically good, but after the displacement (of Tharu communities), the number of rhinos and other animals in the same area has gone down.”

It is true that for many years after 1973, Tharu and other local people were allowed into the park to burn and cut grass for 15 days a year. That window for cutting was reduced as time went by. During the Maoist civil war, cutting was stopped altogether. Afterwards, the grasslands really suffered.

It was not only the rhino who suffered from the loss of grasslands; birds also suffered. According to Ramesh Chaudhary, former chair of the Bird Education Society, Sauraha, “Birds that are found only in short (siru) grasslands, such as Bengal Florican, Lesser Florican, Selender-bellied Babbler and Jerdon's Babbler have disappeared from Chitwan.”

The main food for these birds, insects, are found in short (siru) grasslands. Those foods were found in the dung and feces of domestic animals grazing in the jungle. Many people believe that removing the Tharus from CNP will be helpful for biodiversity and wildlife conservation, but so far, it has turned out to be just the opposite. This is because CNP officials didn’t understand the knowledge of Chitwan’s indigenous Tharu people in managing wetlands and grasslands. Without Tharu management, Chitwan’s wetlands and grasslands have disappeared, reducing habitat for rhinos and deer and other wildlife.

Last year, when the census showed that the number of Chitwan’s tigers had nearly tripled, the Government of Nepal and the donor agencies were widely applauded at the national and international level. But the indigenous Tharu people, who were displaced from their ancestral land to make the park and who suffer disproportionately from wildlife killings and crop raiding, were not acknowledged anywhere despite their traditional conservation practices that helped make Chitwan a suitable habitat for wildlife like tigers, rhinos and deer.

A person died and 22 others were injured when four vehicles collided with each other at Satrakilo in Bharatpur Metropolitan City-29 in Chitwan along the Narayangadh-Mugling road section on Sunday.

The identity of the deceased is yet to be ascertained, police said.

Bhesraj Rijal, spokesperson at the District Police Office, Chitwan, said that three buses and a truck had collided with each other last night.

The road remained obstructed for some hours after the incident. However, two-way traffic resumed this morning, Rijal added.

Eighteen injured passengers are undergoing treatment at a local hospital, Kurintar, while four others at Chitwan Medical College.

Unidentified persons hurled a petrol bomb at a bus near Dadrahani Bridge in Bharatpur Metropolitan City-20, Chitwan on Sunday.

Deputy Superintendent Bhesh Raj Rijal, spokesperson at the District Police Office, Chitwan, said that a group of six persons hurled the petrol bomb at the bus (Bagmati Province 06001 Ka 0045) which was on its way to pick students this morning.

They told the driver and his helper to come out of the bus before throwing the Molotov cocktail.

The bus was completely destroyed in the fire.

DSP Rijal said that they are searching for the persons involved in the incident.

A person died in a cooking gas cylinder explosion at Phulbari of West Chitwan.

Police identified the deceased as 50-year-old Manish Thapa of Dairy Chowk, Bharatpur Metropolitan City-15.

Deputy Superintendent at the District Police Office, Chitwan, Shreeram Bhandari said it is suspected that Thapa was killed when the gas cylinder exploded while he was cooking food in his room on Monday.

The cooking gas explosion took place inside the compound of the Abinash Fertilizer Company.

DSP Bhandari said further investigation into the incident is underway.

Bird census has started in Chitwan today.

Bird Education Society Chitwan has started counting the birds from Rapti River, Budhirapti, Dhumre, Kasara and other areas of East Chitwan.

According to the district president of the society, Tikaram Giri, bird census started from Saturday across the country but it has started in Chitwan from today. Birds will be counted at nine locations in East Chitwan, to be followed by a census in West Chitwan.

The census is scheduled to be completed by January 21. Binocular cameras, GPS, sound recorders etc. are being used to count the birds.

So far, more than 650 species of birds have been found in Chitwan district.

Bird counting has been taking place in Nepal since 1987.

Of the total 717 jailbirds in Chitwan prison, 111 are found to have suffered from different diseases.

The officials at the prison office shared that more than half of the patients are suffering from high blood pressure.

Kamal Prasad Acharya, chief of the prison, said that the number of patients in Chitwan jail is on the rise. This is also due to the arrival of the jailbirds from other districts for treatment.

The inmates from Nawalparasi, Dhading, Gorkha, Makawanpur and other neighboring countries are taken here for their medical treatment, Acharya shared.

Currently, 26 diabetes patients and four people living with HIV are doing their time in Chitwan jail.

Likewise, there are three thyroid patients, four heart patients, for epilepsy patients and five mental patients.

The Chitwan prison is overcrowded as well since more than 200 inmates are housed than the jail's capacity.

The jail administration also shared that the officials have faced difficulties for the treatment of the jailbirds for lack of sufficient budget. "We are taking support from donors for the treatment of jailbirds for lack of budget to purchase medicines," Acharya shared.