In 1990, the Bhutanese government implemented policies that led to the ethnic cleansing of the Hindu Lhotshampa community, primarily of Nepali descent. These policies aimed at cultural assimilation resulted in widespread exile and human rights violations. The expulsion highlighted the complexities of national identity and the challenges of multiculturalism in Bhutan, raising international concerns about human rights and ethnic relations.

The Bhutanese expulsion of Hindu Lhotshampa in 1990 generated poignant refugee poetry that expressed loss and the struggle for cultural preservation. Poets began to explore themes of displacement and identity, reflecting the human cost of geopolitical conflicts in their verses.