Community Outrage After Firing of Fierce Human Rights Activist Narbada Chhetri From Adhikaar

Exclusive: New York, NY — The abrupt and controversial firing of renowned community activist Ms. Narbada Chhetri—a fierce defender of immigrant rights, labor protections, and language justice—has sparked widespread outrage across Nepali-speaking immigrant communities, worker coalitions, and advocacy networks nationwide. Ms. Chhetri, who served as Co–Executive Director of Adhikaar, one of the country’s most influential Nepali-speaking immigrant rights organizations, was dismissed without notice on August 14, 2025, in what she describes as an unjust, discriminatory, and retaliatory actionby the organization’s leadership.

A Legacy of Nearly Two Decades in Service to Immigrant Communities

Ms. Chhetri joined Adhikaar 18 years ago, at a time when the grassroots organization operated with almost no funding, no paid staff, and only a small group of volunteers. Through what friends and colleagues consistently describe as “relentless commitment,” she helped transform Adhikaar into a nationally recognized institution with:

• A $2 million annual budget

• More than 7,000 community members, and

• A leading platform advocating for Nepali-speaking communities, domestic workers, nail salon workers, immigrants, and survivors of labor exploitation

Under her leadership, grassroots organizing translated into historic victories, including:

• The 2010 Domestic Workers Bill of Rights

• The 2015 Nail Salon Workers Law

• Temporary Protected Status (TPS) approval in 2015

• NYC Intro 339, an anti-discrimination law for domestic workers (2021)

• The 2024 New Jersey Domestic Workers Bill

Her contributions helped cement Adhikaar as a model for immigrant-led organizing, worker power, and community-centered advocacy.

Values-Driven Leadership That Transformed Programs

Ms. Chhetri earned widespread respect for her values-centered approach rooted in language justice, workers’ rights, health equity, and community empowerment. She played a major role in building and expanding programs that shaped Adhikaar’s identity, including:

• Language Justice: Developing bilingual leadership and building a national Language Bank of interpreters

• Case Management: Recovering nearly $1 million in stolen wages for workers

• Labor & Immigrant Rights Advocacy: Leading TPS campaigns and anti-exploitation efforts

• English for Empowerment (EFE): Empowering workers with limited formal education

• Health Access Programs: Providing direct support regardless of insurance status

Her work aligned with Adhikaar’s long-standing Theory of Change:

Service → Organizing → Advocacy → Campaigns,

ensuring members led not only in their workplaces but in policy arenas across states.

Sudden Firing Raises Questions of Discrimination and Retaliation

According to Ms. Chhetri, she was terminated “immediately and without warning” at 3:30 PM on August 14, 2025. All internal systems, email access, and communications were shut off within minutes.

“I was treated as if I were a criminal,”

she said during her public statement at a virtual press conference on November 14, 2025.

She alleges the termination was not performance-related but stemmed from a pattern of exclusion, retaliation, and discrimination within Adhikaar’s leadership. Among the incidents she cites:

• Restrictions on Nepali-language communication in a bilingual organization

• Removal from leadership duties, including exclusion from funder meetings

• Retaliation after she raised financial transparency concerns

• Punishment for defending frontline workers with limited English skills

• Systematic silencing of her advocacy for equity and community-centered decision-making

“These incidents collectively show discrimination, suppression, and a disregard for leadership,” she stated.

Deep Personal and Professional Impact

The sudden dismissal left Ms. Chhetri without income, health insurance, or professional standing—resulting in significant mental, emotional, economic, and social hardship. Yet she emphasizes that her commitment to truth, dignity, and justice remains unshaken.

Raising Her Voice for Herself—and for Silenced Workers

Ms. Chhetri says her fight is not just for personal justice, but for the dignity of:

• Frontline workers

• Immigrants

• Women leaders

• Workers with limited English

who often help build community institutions but are pushed aside when power consolidates.

Demands for Accountability and Fairness

Ms. Chhetri is calling for:

• Accountability from Adhikaar’s leadership

• Fair, transparent processes

• Social, emotional, professional, and financial restitution

Despite her trauma, she reaffirmed her lifelong commitment to community power:

“I will continue to speak for truth, dignity, justice, and community power — so the community’s voice is never silenced.”

Growing Community Backlash

Community members, workers, and long-time supporters are now calling for an independent review of Adhikaar’s leadership practices and the circumstances surrounding Ms. Chhetri’s termination. Many say her dismissal represents a betrayal of the very values of equity, language justice, and immigrant empowerment that Adhikaar claims to advance.

As outrage spreads and more voices demand transparency, the immigrant rights community nationwide is watching closely — and awaiting answers.