Kathmandu, July 12 -- On April 24, Prime Minister Balendra Shah shared photographs of flooded riverside settlements on his social media page. He argued landless squatters living along the riverbanks were unsafe and needed immediate relocation.

"Whether you remember or choose to forget, every year thousands of people living on Kathmandu's riverbanks have to flee for their lives during the monsoon, leaving all their belongings behind," wrote Shah. "This is a perennial issue. I have repeatedly written and stated that we must securely relocate these residents before the next monsoon arrives."

The following day, government bulldozers began demolishing the settlements. When opposition lawmakers questioned the aggressive eviction drive in Parl...