Myrepublica.com has learnt from different sources that CPN (Maoist) Chairman and Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and others at the top of Maoist leadership compelled Panta and KC to surrender, thanks to the ever-intensifying agitation of journalists and ever-growing pressure on the Maoists to respect press freedom and people’s rights.
“It was the decision of the organization (Maoist trade union) to ask them to surrender before police and face legal action,” said Salikram Jammakattel, Maoist trade union leader and Constituent Assembly member, who has continued to maintain that his cadres had no hand in the Himalmedia attack.
The accused had hidden in a YCL camp in Kathmandu since the attack on Himalmedia last Sunday, to avoid possible arrest. Jammakattel, who accused Himalmedia staff of beating up their cadres instead, was against any action on Panta and KC, the two main accused in the incident, till he met Prime Minister Dahal on Thursday.
The Prime Minister and Jammakattel had a heated debate over taking legal action against Panta and KC. Under intense national and international pressure over the Himalmedia case, the Prime Minister was under pressure to act fast. He asked Jamakattel to cooperate with the party and the government in arresting the accused duo.
Jammakattel finally agreed to the Prime Minister about taking legal action against the accused after the Prime Minister assured him of initiatives to reinstate 16 staffers sacked by Himalmedia.
This piece of information about the meeting between the Prime Minister and Jammakattel was shared by Minister for Information and Communications Krishna Bahadur Mahara with the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) during his talks with the latter on Thursday, a participant in the meeting told myrepublica.com.
Even Mahara maintained during the meeting with the FNJ that the government would arrest the accused in the attack provided FNJ assured him it would take initiatives to reinstate the sacked Himalmedia staffers, said the participant on condition of anonymity. This stance by Mahara led to Thursday’s talks ending inconclusively, prompting the FNJ to continue its protests for press freedom.
“The PM asked me to cooperate with the government and the administration in getting Panta and KC to submit to voluntary arrest. He further asked me to seek a solution to the Himalmedia case,” said Jammakattel about his meeting with the Prime Minister Thursday.
This is the first time that the Maoists have forced their cadres allegedly involved in criminal activities to surrender before a law enforcing body.
“They did so under pressure and sensing severe consequences from the incident,” said senior journalist Yuba Raj Ghimire about the voluntary submission to arrest by Panta and KC.
Related story
Murder-accused surrenders to police
