No proof against Dhamala: Mahat

Kathmandu March 7:

Speakers at a function organised by the Reporters’ Club Nepal today called for the release of Rishi Dhamala, journalist and president of the club, who has been jailed on the charge of assisting an armed group and attempted murder.

They argued that the government had failed to put forward any solid evidence against Dhamala.

Nepali Congress leader Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat accused the government of misusing state power. He said the nation was under the authoritarian rule of the Maoists.

He accused the government of promoting impunity and sabotaging the rights of journalists. “There has been no proper and systematic investigation in Dhamala’s case,” Mahat said.

CP Mainali, general secretary of CPN-ML, said the government’s act to imprison an active journalist like Dhamala without any evidence was an ample testimony as to how the the government views media.

Meanwhile, Ramesh Bista, treasurer of the Federation of Nepali Journalist, claimed that many mediapersons were killed, kidnapped and imprisoned without any reason by the present as well as the past governments.

“We are going to form a probe committee for the systematic and reliable investigation into the case,” added Bista. He also accused the police of torturing Dhamala, who he said has been suffering from a lung disease.

Dhamala was arrested a month ago.