KATHMANDU, JUNE 15 The Sudurpashchim Province government has formed a five-member investigation committee to look into a widely circulated video showing forest officials pushing a tempo off a cliff during an encroachment clearance drive in Kailali, as police took 12 forest staff into custody for questioning. The incident, which occurred on May 29 at Gaimare in Godavari Rural Municipality-4 along the Bhimdatta Highway, went viral on social media and triggered a public controversy over the use of force by forest officials during anti-encroachment operations. Forest staff from the Division Forest Office, Dhangadhi, along with forest guards, were conducting an encroachment clearance drive in the Gaimare Chure forest area, described by officials as one of the most ecologically sensitive zones in the region, where illegal occupation, construction of makeshift structures, and even buying and selling of forest land had been ongoing for years. During the operation, a tempo belonging to Dhanadevi Dhami, a woman who used it as a mobile retail stall, was pushed off a cliff by forest staff. The video of the incident spread rapidly online, drawing widespread criticism. The Division Forest Office held a press conference on Sunday, maintaining that the incident was accidental and not deliberate. Senior Divisional Forest Officer Dr. Ramvichari Thakur said the tempo was not a functioning vehicle, its wheels and engine were completely broken down, and had been used as a makeshift shed for operating a roadside stall inside the forest boundary, constituting illegal encroachment. According to the office, the structure had been there for approximately five months, and forest staff had previously pushed the tempo to the owner's home during an earlier drive, only for it to be brought back to the same spot. The owner was instructed a month ago to remove it. On May 29, when staff returned for another clearance drive, the owner refused to comply. Forest staff then attempted to remove the non-functional tempo themselves. The office said that due to the sloped terrain and loss of balance, the vehicle rolled off the cliff uncontrollably, and that the incident was accidental, not intentional. The office urged the public not to present the incident in an exaggerated or misleading manner. The Province's Ministry of Industry, Tourism, Forest and Environment ordered an investigation at the ministerial level. A committee has been formed by ministerial decision under the convenorship of Provincial Forest Directorate Director Dr. Hemraj Bista, with a mandate to establish the facts and submit a report within seven days. The committee includes Assistant Chief District Officer of Kailali District Administration Office Kiran Joshi, Senior Divisional Forest Officer of the Division Forest Office Pahalamanpur Janak Padhya, Mechanical Engineer of the Kailali Transport Management Office Dhojraj Joshi, and Legal Officer of the Forest and Environment Ministry Vijayraj Ojha. The ministry said the ministry is treating the matter seriously, and that those found responsible will be held accountable. Meanwhile, Nepal Police launched a criminal investigation into the incident. The District Police Office, Kailali detained 12 forest staff for questioning.