KATHMANDU, Dec 9: The federal government has turned a deaf ear to an appeal by Harka Sampang, the mayor of Dharan Sub-metropolitan City, seeking action for defamation that falsely portrays him as Maoist extortionist, despite his claim of being the victim.
Sampang, an independent candidate who was elected the mayor of Dharan in the 2022 local level election, wrote to two different federal ministries on Sunday on two separate issues, but officials of the ministries say they are unaware of any such letters.
Mayor Sampang sent a letter to the Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak demanding action against two journalists who he claimed to have published “misleading news” about him. He accused the media of attempting to tarnish his reputation by “falsely reporting” that he posed as a fake Maoist to collect donations.
Sampang specifically called out Gopal Dahal of the Himal Khabar Center of Investigative Journalism as the source of the alleged defamatory report and Janak Rishi, president of the Sunsari district chapter of the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ), for propagating the report. In the letter, he called for impartial action, urging the home minister to disregard any political affiliation of the journalists or media outlets involved.
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Mayor Sampang claimed that he was not involved in the Maoist movement, rather he was a victim of it. “As I was working as a teacher during the insurgency period, I was beaten by Maoist cadres,” he told Republica, “They apologized to me later and I let it go, that was my experience of the Maoist movement.”
Spokesperson for the Ministry of Home Affairs Joint Secretary Rishi Ram Tiwari informed Republica that he was not aware of receiving any letter from Sampang. Under Secretary Dil Kumar Tamang also said he was unaware about it. Chief of the Legal Division under the ministry Joint Secretary also said that he had not been informed about Sampang’s letter.
Sampang also formally requested the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration (MoFAGA) to appoint a Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) at Dharan sub-metropolis without delay, citing significant disruptions to public services in the absence of the officer.
In a sarcastic letter signed by Sampang, the metropolis emphasized that the ongoing vacancy has made it difficult to carry out essential tasks, impacting service delivery to the people of Dharan. The letter stresses that the stagnation is hampering the municipality’s ability to function efficiently, calling for immediate action.
"When will you appoint a CAO for Dharan Sub-metropolitan City? The work of the people here has become difficult due to stagnation. Oh please send an officer promptly,” the letter stated.
Sampang said the appointment process had been delayed for months although the sub-metropolis started writing letters to the MoFAGA as soon as the post of CAO became vacant.
“The process of budget formation was delayed by months last time as the post of CAO remained vacant,” he told Republica, “This time I have started sending a letter to the concerned ministry after 15 days of vacancy of the post, and I will keep on sending a letter to them on a daily basis until the position is filled.”
Spokesperson for the MoFAGA Joint Secretary Kali Prasad Parajuli claimed that the ministry has not received the letter. However, Mayor Sampang claimed that he has been in constant telephone correspondence with the secretaries at the ministry, requesting them for the appointment of the CAO.
“How can he claim that they have not received the letter?” he questioned, adding, “I have been calling them every day.”
Senior Advocate Chandra Kanta Gyawali told Republica that Mayor Sampang’s action of sending the letters to the concerned ministries is well within the spirit of law. “The law enables the local units to send letters to all line ministries,” he said.
