The Dhanusha District Court on Wednesday sent Kailash Sirohiya, chairperson of Kantipur Media Group, to judicial custody for three days. Judge Chudaman Khadka issued an order to this effect after police presented Sirohiya in court, requesting a remand to investigate a complaint related to his citizenship certificate.
Police had initially requested a 10-day remand, while the district attorney’s office recommended a five-day remand. Sirohiya was arrested on Tuesday from Kantipur Publications in Thapathali, Kathmandu. He was subsequently taken to Dhanusha based on a complaint from Indrajit Mahato of Sarlahi district on April 28. Mahato, a member of Rastriya Swatantra Party led by Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane, has accused Sirohiya of holding multiple citizenships and sought an investigation under the Citizenship Act 2006.
Sirohiya’s arrest has been met with condemnation from the media fraternity and political leaders, who have described it as a violation of the constitution and a case of abuse of state powers.
Editors from the mainstream media asserted on Wednesday that Sirohiya’s arrest was intended to intimidate the press. In a joint letter to Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, they expressed concerns over the context, allegations, and method of Sirohiya’s arrest, which they believe raises serious questions.
“We perceive the arrest from within a media house as an attempt to pressure and instill fear in the press. Government agencies have never interrogated Sirohiya regarding these allegations,” stated the letter signed by 31 editors associated with various media organizations.
Meanwhile, The United States said that freedom of press, accountability, and transparency are guiding principles for the United States as it continues to work for “a more perfect union.”
“We expect that as Nepal continues to show its hard-won democracy, the Government and people of Nepal will also have a meaningful dialogue about how to ensure good governance, freedom of the press and people’s fundamental rights,” reads a statement issued by the US Embassy in Kathmandu. The Embassy issued the statement a day after police detained Sirohiya.
