Journalists protest Gandaki government's appointment of Press Registrar

A group of journalists in Pokhara staged a protest today in front of the Gandaki Province Chief Minister’s Office, expressing dissatisfaction over the appointment of Bimala Bhandari as the new Press Registrar. The demonstrators claimed that the appointment was unjust to working journalists, citing Bhandari's controversial background.

Bhandari, who is also the Chairperson of the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) Kaski chapter, was sworn in as the Press Registrar, a position created under the Mass Communication Bill passed by the Gandaki Province Assembly last year. The role involves overseeing the press and media in the region.

While Chief Minister Surendra Pandey administered the oath to Bhandari, journalists outside the office held placards and chanted slogans. They demanded that unresolved issues of working journalists be addressed before appointing anyone to such a critical monitoring role. "How can someone who has ignored our concerns now monitor the press?" questioned Anup Poudel, a journalist with Samadhan National Daily.

Protesters accused the FNJ Kaski leadership of political bias and neglecting the concerns of active journalists, particularly regarding membership issues. "Despite repeated requests, she has turned a deaf ear to us," another journalist added.

Approximately two dozen journalists participated in the protest, questioning the government's decision to appoint someone they consider politically partial to such a sensitive position.