Nepal Police reject social media claims of hoarding flood relief

Kathmandu,UPDATED: Sep 9, 2026 11:40 IST

Nepal Police has warned the public against sharing what it called false claims on social media that security agencies took relief materials meant for flash flood victims and did not distribute them. The warning followed allegations by CPN (UML) Secretary Mahesh Basnet that supplies were being kept inside Army and police barracks and offices, and that some food items had been allowed to rot.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the police said its attention had been drawn to the circulation of "baseless, fabricated and misleading" information targeting security agencies on social media. It said personnel from the Nepali Army, Nepal Police and Armed Police Force have been working round the clock on search, rescue, relief and rehabilitation operations since devastating floods hit the Himalayan nation last month.

The police said recent social media posts alleging that the Army and police took relief materials and did not distribute them, or allowed them to deteriorate, were "false and baseless". It added that security personnel have been rescuing stranded and affected people, searching for missing persons, providing medical assistance to the injured, managing recovered bodies and distributing relief materials.

The flash floods were triggered by an ice-rock avalanche near the Nepal-Tibet border on August 26, sending the Bhotekoshi River raging downstream. Homes, vehicles, roads and bridges were washed away, and hydropower projects across northern and central Nepal were damaged. The death toll rose to 1,365 on Wednesday, while more than 5,326 people were missing. Several districts, including Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading, suffered significant loss of life and property.

Nepal Police said the circulation of unverified allegations during a disaster could affect the morale of security personnel deployed in rescue and relief operations, create distrust among the public towards security agencies and hamper sensitive disaster-management efforts. It also clarified that it does not have any relief materials stored in its possession, according to The Himalayan Times. The police urged the public and all concerned not to spread rumours or unverified information that could create confusion or undermine the morale of personnel working in affected areas.

Basnet had alleged that victims at a shelter complained of a lack of food while relief supplies were being kept by the Army and police, and claimed that vegetables and other food items had been left to rot inside security installations under the "one-door system". He also alleged that helicopters were prevented from carrying out rescue operations and criticised Prime Minister Balendra Shah, the ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party and volunteer organisation Hami Nepal over their response to the disaster. In its statement, the police said security personnel remained committed to protecting lives, carrying out search and rescue operations and providing humanitarian assistance during disasters.

With PTI Inputs

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