KATHMANDU: An allegation of government protection has been made in an incident where vehicles were parked since early morning, blocking the roads in front of three media houses, a commercial establishment, and the residence of Nepali Congress President Gagan Thapa in the capital.

Suspicion turned toward the government after it was revealed that the vehicle parked in front of Kantipur Publications had been in use by Ravi Jaiswal, a leader of the ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP). Representatives of the media organizations suspect that the vehicles might have been placed deliberately at a time when the media has been questioning the government regarding the Ganesh Nepali death case.

Although the police have taken all five vehicles into custody and initiated an investigation, they have not yet made public any evidence confirming the identity of the persons who parked the vehicles, their objective, or their involvement.

Vehicle number BA C 9575 parked at the gate of Nepali Congress President Gagan Thapa’s residence. Photo: Nepal Photo Library

According to the District Police Range Kathmandu, the vehicles parked in front of Onlinekhabar, Kantipur Publications, Himalaya Television, Bhat-Bhateni Supermarket, and Thapa’s residence in Ratopul have been taken into custody. The spokesperson for the Range, Superintendent of Police (SP) Pawan Kumar Bhattarai, stated, “We have taken five vehicles into custody and sent them to the Traffic Police for necessary action.”

The vehicles were parked early today morning in a manner that obstructed the road. The police stated that an investigation is underway to determine who parked the vehicles and for what purpose. According to Bhattarai, the police initially checked whether there was any security risk from those vehicles. “After confirming there was no security threat, and since the respective owners did not come to claim them, we took them into custody with the help of a crane,” he said.

Vehicle parked in front of the Himalaya TV office.

Although the vehicles have been sent to the Kathmandu Valley Traffic Police Office, no decision has been made yet regarding the type of action to be taken. “No formal complaint has been received so far,” Bhattarai said. “An investigation is ongoing into the motive behind parking the vehicles in a way that blocks the road.”

Vehicle used by ruling party leader

It has been found that vehicle number Ba 01-034 Cha 8480, parked in front of the entrance of Kantipur Publications, was being used by RSP leader Jaiswal. According to the police, Jaiswal had booked the vehicle under the name of Jyoti Concern. However, the vehicle had not yet been transferred to his name.

The vehicle with registration number Ba 12 Cha 8545, parked in front of the entrance of Onlinekhabar, was found to be registered under the name of Sunil Paudel. However, police said no one has come forward to claim the vehicle.

Vehicle number Ba Pradesh-01 034 Cha 8480 parked at the gate of Kantipur Media Group.

The owners of the vehicles parked in front of Bhat-Bhateni, Himalaya Television, and Congress President Thapa’s residence have not been identified yet. Police stated that the investigation is ongoing by requesting details from the Department of Transport Management regarding whose names these discovered vehicles are registered under and who had been driving them.

Although it has been revealed that one vehicle was being used by a leader of the ruling party, no evidence has been found yet to prove whether the vehicle was placed there by the leader himself or under the direction of the party.

Suspicious parking following municipal police withdrawal

This incident occurred at a time when the Municipal Police of Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) had stepped back from traffic and parking management.

Following the Ganesh Nepali death case, three municipal police personnel have been drawn into the investigation. Since then, questions have been raised regarding the role and jurisdiction of the municipal police in traffic management.

The primary responsibility for traffic management lies with the Traffic Police under the Nepal Police. The Traffic Police operates in coordination with local levels and other agencies as required.

A Hyundai Creta, registration number 033 Cha 4275, parked in front of Bhat-Bhateni Supermarket in Anamnagar.

Kathmandu Metropolitan City, through the Municipal Police Act, 2024, had assigned the municipal police the responsibility of assisting in the work of the traffic police. When Balendra Shah was actively serving as the Mayor of the metropolis, the municipal police were actively deployed in tasks related to parking, footpath, and traffic management. “It is not that the municipal police did not work on traffic management before. Previously, they were deployed according to work procedures,” says KMC Spokesperson Navin Manandhar. “After the metropolis formulated the Act, the municipal police began to be deployed in such tasks in a more organized manner.”

After the investigation against the municipal police commenced, the metropolis stopped sending its police personnel for roadside traffic management.

The metropolis did not deploy municipal police for traffic and parking management in the New Road area on Sunday. Previously, municipal police were regularly deployed in that area.

The parking in New Road became chaotic on Sunday due to the absence of the municipal police. “After the incident in front of the Passport Office, questions have been raised about the role of the municipal police. An investigation committee has also been formed regarding this,” Manandhar says. “Under the current circumstances, since the municipal police cannot work alone in such places, they did not go for duty.”

He states that a decision on whether or not to redeploy the municipal police to their duties will only be made after the investigation committee’s report is submitted. “The municipal police fulfilled their responsibilities whenever needed. Even when Mira Chaudhari was leading the Traffic Police, the municipal police were deployed for footpath and parking management,” he says. “Despite limited resources, the municipal police were mobilized.”

Manandhar added that even when the traffic police were not sufficiently present on the streets after the Gen-Z movement, the municipal police assisted in traffic management. “Now a tragic incident has occurred. What more can be said about this until the report of the investigation committee arrives?” he says.

‘Not just a coincidence’

Representatives of the respective media organizations suspect that leaving vehicles in front of sensitive locations early in the morning, right when the municipal police had withdrawn from parking management, could be a planned act.

They state that the simultaneous placement of vehicles in front of the offices of three media outlets cannot be considered a mere coincidence.

The media houses had raised questions about the government’s role in the Ganesh Nepali death case. For that reason, allegations have been made that the vehicles might have been placed with the intent to pressure or terrorize the media.

Basanta Basnet, the Editor-in-Chief of Onlinekhabar, states that the simultaneous parking of vehicles in front of three media outlets cannot be considered natural. “This appears to be intentional. Vehicles have been placed at three media houses at the same time,” he says. “This does not seem like an accidental or spontaneous event.”

Vehicle parked in front of the Onlinekhabar office.

He mentions that although there are various speculations regarding who parked the vehicles and why, an institutional stance will only be made public after verifying the facts. “A question has arisen as to whether journalism has to pay a price for questioning the state,” Basnet says. “We will make our stance public after confirming the available facts.”

RSP demands investigation

After it was revealed that one of the vehicles was being used by a leader of its party, the RSP demanded an impartial investigation into the incident.

Issuing a statement, the party urged the Ministry of Home Affairs to find the truth behind the incident and take legal action against those involved. ‘The Rastriya Swatantra Party condemns this and any other actions motivated by the intent to terrorize the press sector,’ reads the statement issued by General Secretary Bipin Acharya.

The party has demanded an immediate, impartial, and factual investigation into the incident, as well as the assurance of physical and psychological security for the media. ‘We draw the serious attention of the Government of Nepal, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the relevant security agencies to immediately identify and legally penalize anyone involved in such suspicious activities,’ the statement notes.

The Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) has also demanded an investigation and action against the culprits regarding the suspicious parking of vehicles in front of the entrances of media houses. Stating that the incident has created terror in the media sector, the Federation has urged the government to ensure the security of media organizations.

‘The Federation draws the attention of the relevant authorities to immediately investigate this reprehensible and mysterious incident that obstructs media houses and the exercise of rights, and to take legal action against the culprits,’ reads the statement issued by General Secretary Ram Prasad Dahal.