Kathmandu, October 30
Police raided several newsrooms across the capital today and detained at least three journalists, triggering widespread outrage over press freedom. However, following swift condemnation from rights bodies and media advocate groups, all detained journalists were released late in the evening on direct orders from the prime minister.
Minister for Information and Communication Technology Bikram Timilsina confirmed the releases, reiterating the government's commitment to the constitutional guarantees for the press.
"All the arrested journalists have been released. The government remains fully committed to press freedom," Timilsina wrote on Facebook. "Press freedom and responsible journalism are the core pillars of democracy."
Earlier in the day, plainclothes officers entered media offices without arrest warrants and took into custody Bishwamani Subedi of the Nepal Press, Dhiraj Basnet of the DNA Khabar and Shobhraj Baral of the Motive News.
In coordinated operations, plainclothes teams also descended on several other media outlets to question reporters over their recent investigative reporting.
Subedi was detained directly from the Nepal Press newsroom in New Baneshwor. Police sources stated that he was taken to the Cyber Bureau over a report regarding Nepal Police Inspector General Dan Bahadur Karki. The report alleged the government was weighing Karki's removal and that the police chief was seeking legal counsel.
The Nepal Press reported that three plainclothes officers claiming to represent the Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Office entered their newsroom and demanded Subedi accompany them, failing to produce an arrest warrant.
In Anamnagar, plainclothes officers seized Baral, chairman and editor-in-chief of the Motive News.
Baral's colleague told The Himalayan Times that five officers displayed badges before taking Baral away without providing written grounds or detention papers. The colleague added that an unidentified caller had telephoned 15 minutes prior to his arrest, under the pretext of scheduling an interview, after which Baral's phone went unanswered.
POLICE TARGET ADDITIONAL NEWSROOMS
At Naya Patrika's office in Putalisadak, four plainclothes officers identifying as Crime Division personnel arrived, seeking reporter Navaraj Mainali to transport him to the Cyber Bureau.
News Editor Khagendra Pant confirmed the officers presented no warrants and remained in the newsroom for over two hours demanding Mainali's presence. Although staff offered to have Mainali present himself the following morning, officers insisted on taking him immediately, before ultimately ordering him to report to the Cyber Bureau at 10:00am tomorrow.
The raid came one day after Naya Patrika published an exposé revealing alleged WhatsApp exchanges between Supreme Court Justice Hari Prasad Phuyal and Inam Sapkota -an individual accused of using political influence over the state institutions. Police did not state whether the operation was connected to the story.
Simultaneously, four plainclothes officers entered Diyo Post's office in Anamnagar, searching for Editor-in-Chief Sudip Bishwakarma and News Coordinator Madan Dhungana. Editor Rita Budhathoki noted that suspicious callers had been attempting to verify the outlet's address throughout the morning. Diyo Post had recently reported receiving threats following its investigative coverage of the judiciary.
PM'S OFFICE DENIES PRIOR KNOWLEDGE, DIRECTS IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Facing intense backlash from press freedom watchdogs and civil society leaders, the Prime Minister's Secretariat issued a clarification stating that neither PM Balendra Shah nor his Cabinet had prior knowledge of or involvement in the police actions.
Dipa Dahal, press and research advisor to the prime minister, emphasised that the executive branch had not been briefed on the planned detentions. "The prime minister, his secretariat, and the Office of the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers had zero involvement in today's developments," Dahal said. "We were not even informed that these actions were taking place."
Dahal added that upon learning of the detentions and newsroom intrusions, Prime Minister Shah immediately instructed security agencies to release all detained journalists, halt all questioning and strictly refrain from entering media offices to execute detentions.