Election Police Struggle with Kalikot's Rugged Terrain from Tarai to the Hills

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Challenges and Experiences of Election Police Recruits in Kalikot

For Imaluja Chaudhary, an 18-year-old from Tikapur Municipality in Kailali, the district of Kalikot was not what she had imagined. She traveled there to apply for a position as an election police officer and found herself overwhelmed by the landscape.

"Seeing the frightening hills made my heart pound," she said after reaching Manma Bazar, the district headquarters. "I felt dizzy during my first journey through the hills." Despite the challenges, Chaudhary remains hopeful about her future in the Nepal Police. She chose Kalikot to gain experience through the election police recruitment process.

"There is hardly any development here," she noted. "Even though it is not dusty like the Tarai, there is a shortage of drinking water in Manma." Chaudhary passed the Secondary Education Examination with a GPA of 2 from Saraswati Secondary School in her village and is currently studying Grade 12 at Radiant English School. Her relative, Yuvaraj Kumar Chaudhary from Kohalpur, encouraged her to apply in Kalikot. "I came to manage my education expenses," she said. "I also wanted to see the hills."

Yuvaraj, 30, explained that he decided to apply in Kalikot after learning that a larger quota had been allocated there. He had been working in Rakam, Dailekh, when he heard that the chances of selection were better. "Competition in the Tarai is tough," he said. He mentioned that he had previously tried twice to fly to New Zealand for foreign employment, paying Rs500,000 to an agent from ward 18 of Dhangadhi Sub-metropolitan City. Unfortunately, the agent went out of contact after taking the money, and he lost all his savings, still struggling to repay loans. Working as election police, he hopes, will help cover household expenses.

Struggles and Adjustments

Surendra Tharu, 29, from Kohalpur Municipality-6, is currently resting after falling ill due to the cold following snowfall. Another recruit, 21-year-old Chitrawati Tharu from ward 6 of Baijanath Rural Municipality in Banke, shared similar experiences. "Just looking at the hills makes me feel dizzy," she said. "It is a district of towering mountains."

She described her fear while traveling once Kalikot's border began from Rakam in Dailekh. "For the first two or three days, I was scared to even step outside," she said. "Gradually, I got used to it. Now I can walk and run."

Mahesh Lal Yadav, 44, from Saptari, who has also been selected as an election police officer, said he came at the request of his nephew serving in the Nepal Police. He emphasized that recruits must go wherever they are deployed but hoped to be assigned near Manma for easier access to food and basic facilities. "We do not know the geography of other areas," he said.

Insights from the District Police Chief

District Police Chief Him Bahadur Khatri mentioned that five people from the Tarai have come to Kalikot to serve as election police for the House of Representatives election scheduled for March 5. They will receive appointment letters on February 1 and be enrolled in training. "They were selected after coming here on their own initiative," he said, adding that competition in the Tarai is usually intense.

He also noted that two recruits had suffered from a common cold and mild fever due to winter snowfall. A total of 1,298 election police have been selected in Kalikot. The experience of these recruits highlights the challenges and adjustments required in such remote and rugged areas. Their stories reflect the determination and resilience needed to serve in one of Nepal’s most challenging districts.