Former Bal Mandir Vice Chairman Tulsi Narayan Shrestha arrested (update)

KATHMANDU, June 7: Tulsi Narayan Shrestha, a former vice chairman of  the Nepal Children's Organization (NCO), widely known as Bal Mandir, has been arrested by the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police. He was apprehended in Lazimpat. 

CIB Spokesperson SP Hobindra Bogati said that Shrestha was arrested on the basis of a complaint that he had entered into an agreement of cheaply leasing the land of Bal Mandir from 2049 BS to 2072 BS  with the intention of harming the NCO. In the complaint, there is a claim of irregularities even during contract renewal. 

About 29 ropanis of land in Naxal was given on lease for Rs 10.09 million annually as per the latest agreement.

An arrest warrant was issued against 20 people on the 9th of May on the charge of conducting various activities on the land of Bal Mandir. Among them, Shrestha was arrested.  

The then chairperson Rita Singh, General Secretary Ganesh Bhakta Shrestha, Deputy General Secretary Suman Shakya, Krishna Shankar Sah, Shyam Kumar Ale, Subas Kumar Pokharel, Manohar Gopal Shrestha are among those against whom arrest warrants have been issued. Similarly, arrest warrants have been issued against Prachanda Raj Pradhan, Ram Kaji Kone, Yogendra Bahadur Shahi and Dipak Das Shrestha.

The organization working for the protection of orphans and helpless children was accused of handing over the land of the organization to the businessmen for eternity in the name of lease agreement.

Similarly, a warrant was issued by the court against the then officials of Brihaspati Vidya Sadan, Chiranjeevi Tiwari, Prabin Raj Joshi, Murari Nidhi Tiwari, Shraddha Sanghai, Purushottam Raj Joshi, Abhinav Singhania, Kirti Prasad Pandey and Siddharth Kedia.