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Central Regional Administrator detains journo

Now, it’s the turn of the journo. Just a week after eastern regional administrator, Jagdish Khadka, and Sagarmatha zonal administrator, Ram Kumar Subba, allegedly manhandled and locked up officiating local development officer of Siraha, Keshav Prasad Bimali in a toilet, another royal-appointed regional administrator has detained a journalist for exposing his alleged involvement in corruption, reports said.

According to Kantipur daily, regional administrator of central region Rabindra Chakrabarty summoned and detained Bhadranath Adhikary, editor and publisher of ‘Grameen Samachar’ (Rural News)—a fortnightly newspaper, published from major industrial city of Birgunj in central region-- for over 24 hours.

In its June 29 issue, ‘Grameen Samachar’ newspaper reported that Chakrabarty had used his influence to stop probe in ‘suspicious death’ of three Indian workers at the local Star Cement Industry after allegedly taking a bribe of Rs 200,000 (approx. US$ 3,000). A week after the publication of the news report, Adhikary was asked to report to the Superintendent of Police in Parsa district, Bir Bahadur Rana. Rana referred Adhikary to Deputy Superintendent of Police who then dispatched him to the regional administration office in Hetauda (in the nearby district of Makwanpur) along with a policeman.

According to the news report, in his office at Hetauda on Friday, Chakrabarty abused editor Adhikari saying that the newspaper had ‘assassinated his character.’ Adhikary stood by his story. He was not allowed to speak to his family members over phone.

Adhikary was produced before Chakrabarty again on Saturday—a public holiday. He offered the editor a glass of ‘lassi,’ and asked why had he written like that despite being a ‘monarchist.’ Adhikary was released after he was made to sign on an ‘affidavit’ saying that he will make his newspaper’s executive editor, Raghav Shah, report to the regional administration office (RAO).

According to Adhikary, one of the staff at the RAO forcibly put Rs 100 (approx. US$ 1.4) in his pocket “to meet his travel expense.” When contacted by Kantipur, Chakrabarty denied that the editor had been locked up. “Neither he was locked up, nor tortured. We have released him with due honor after inquiring about the registration of the newspaper and qualification of the editor,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Home Ministry has sought clarification from eastern regional administrator Jagdish Khadka, and Sagarmatha zonal administrator Ram Kumar Subba, regarding their alleged misbehavior towards officiating LDO of Siraha, Keshav Prasad Bimali, last week. The Ministry of Local Development has also sent Under Secretary at the Ministry, Bhakti Prasad Upreti, to probe into the incident and work as an LDO in the district, according to reports.

In a statement, the Federation of District Development Committees (FDDC) said the provision of regional and zonal administrators was against the spirit and norms of the local self-governance and decentralization. The FDDC termed the treatment against Bimali by administrators duo as “inhuman.”

According to Sarita, wife of Bimali, the administrators duo had manhandled and locked up her husband in the toilet of the government-owned guest house for over an hour on July 3 alleging him of failing to keep it clean. They later ordered to detain Bimali who is still said to be in police custody.

The government had appointed five regional administrators and 14 zonal administrators after the royal move of February 1, this year. nepalnews.com by July 11 05