On 4 July 2020, woman human rights defender Bidya Shrestha Maharjan was physicallyassaulted by police officials while participating in a peaceful protest against the government�sacquisition of indigenous farm land for the building of the Expressway motorway in Khokana. Bidya Shrestha Maharjan is a teacher and human rights defender from the Kathmandu valley ofNepal. She is the women�s president of the World Newa Guthi, an indigenous communityorganization that works to protect the rights of the Newa Guthi people. An indigenous womanherself, Bidya Shrestha Maharjan has long been leading the movement to stop the illegal roadexpansion in the valley inhabited by the Newa Guthi people, which has already seen thedisplacement of thousands who have not been compensated and/or have been left landless. On 4 July 2020, Bidya Shrestha Maharjan, along with fellow activists and farmers of the indigenousNewa community from the Kathmandu valley gathered in Khokana to peacefully protest against theacquisition of land owned by indigenous Newa people. The land has been acquired for theconstruction of the proposed Expressway motorway, despite objections by the Indigenous Newa aswell as other local communities, due to concern that such mega projects will displace the entirecommunity. They have demanded that large scale projects such as the proposed motorway berelocated to more suitable locations.The peaceful protest turned violent when the armed police force intervened, lobbing tear gas shellsand charging at the crowd with batons, leaving dozens of protestors and police personnel injured.Bidya Shrestha Maharjan was beaten by armed personnel and later taken to hospital for theinjuries she incurred. Front Line Defenders is concerned by the physical attack and intimidation of woman human rightsdefender Bidya Shrestha Maharjan by police officials, as it believes this was solely due to herlegitimate and peaceful work in defence of human rights and exercising her right to peacefullyassemble.