BIRATNAGAR: An incident where a police team arrived at the official residence of Kosi Province’s Internal Affairs and Law Minister, Indramani Parajuli, in Biratnagar on Thursday night has sparked a controversy.

The Minister’s secretariat has claimed that the residence was raided, while the police and local administration stated that the team arrived in the area in search of a fugitive.

Morang’s Chief District Officer, Yubaraj Kattel, stated that the police deployment was not targeted at the Minister’s residence.

According to him, the police team was deployed based on information that a fugitive wanted in an attempted murder case was hiding in that area.

“The police went there based on information that a fugitive was hiding there,” Kattel said. “The search was conducted based on information that a suspect might be staying there, not because it was the Minister’s quarters. However, some lapses in communication and coordination were observed during this process.”

On the other hand, the Minister’s Chief Personal Secretary, Kedar Dahal, mentioned that Minister Parajuli was in Dhankuta participating in a disaster management program when the incident occurred.

He stated that the secretariat only found out about the incident after local residents called to inform them at night.

“Locals informed us, saying, ‘The police are raiding your house,'” Dahal said. “When we later inquired with the police, we were told that the team reached there based on information that a fugitive criminal was staying there.”

He claimed that the police arrived there based on wrong information.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Kabit Katuwal, Chief of the District Police Office Morang, denied the allegation that the Minister’s residence was raided.

According to him, the police team was deployed based on information that Bimal Bhattarai, a fugitive defendant in an attempted murder case, was hiding around Pushpalal Chowk.

“The team only reached near the Minister’s house during the search,” Katuwal said. “No raid or search operation was conducted inside the Minister’s house. This matter has been unnecessarily exaggerated.”

He also added that the police hold no bias or enmity against Minister Parajuli.

“The police went to that area in search of a criminal; no action was targeted at the Minister’s residence,” he said.