KATHMANDU, April 26: A young man attempted suicide alleging police torture for his critical comments about Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane on Facebook.
Ganesh Man Singh Thakuri, a resident of Kushe Rural Municipality, Jajarkot, was arrested by the police on Wednesday afternoon from Kathmandu, where he has been residing temporarily to prepare for the exams of the Public Service Commission. According to his brother Man Bahadur, Thakuri a post-graduate student of Tribhuvan University, attempted suicide on Wednesday by consuming poison at the entrance of the Cyber Bureau of Nepal Police in Kathmandu after being harassed by the police for his Facebook comments against Home Minister Lamichhane.
After consuming poison, the police rushed Thakuri to Bir Hospital. As Bir Hospital couldn't provide the necessary treatment, he was later admitted to the ICU at Nepal Cleft & Burn Center in Kirtipur the same night. Man Bahadur expressed concern over his brother's deteriorating condition, stating, "My brother is now in the ICU. The police have threatened to imprison him for 10 years at the behest of the Home Minister."
After this incident became public, Man Bahadur accused the Home Minister and his secretariat of imposing restrictions on expressing opinions by misusing the security agencies, leading his brother to resort to suicide.
Facebook for the public
Thakuri’s fault was to agree to a post created by someone on social media saying that Home Minister Lamichhane's name was linked to the case of cooperative fraud. Writing in the comment section, Thakuri had demanded that Home Minister Lamichhane should provide clarification. The police arrested him and subjected him to mental stress and threats regarding this issue.
"My brother couldn't withstand the police pressure and felt it was better to die than go to jail, so he consumed poison," said Man Bahadur. According to him, the police have been torturing Thakuri saying, "Why did you insult the Home Minister? Why did you write on Facebook? Do you have any evidence that the Home Minister cheated the cooperative? If you have proof, show it; if not, the Home Minister has ordered you to be jailed for 10 years."
Man Bahadur added that five policemen surrounded his brother and tortured him because he spoke out against the Home Minister.
He also claimed that someone else edited an old comment on Thakuri’s Facebook page after his mobile phone was confiscated by the police. “It seems that they edited the comment three times," Man Bahadur said.
"My brother is innocent; he doesn't drink or smoke. He commented in response to an issue raised by everyone else on social media. It wasn't obscene," Man Bahadur asserted.
While managing Galaxy TV under the banner of Gorkha Media Pvt. Ltd., Lamichhane, who was also a member of the board of directors, has faced allegations of embezzling millions of rupees from cooperatives such as Supreme, Suryadarshan, and others. Man Bahadur expressed sadness over the unfortunate incident where security personnel, deployed by the Home Minister, used force in such a manner that individuals felt compelled to consume poison just for questioning about the cooperative scam. Bhim Dhakal, Central Spokesperson of Nepal Police, stated he was not aware of the matter. "I am unaware about it right now; I will provide information tomorrow," he added.
Previously, Shalikram Pudasaini of Nuwakot committed suicide accussing Home Minister Lamichhane of compelling him to take his own life. In that case, the police also prosecuted Lamichhane for abetment of suicide.
Recently, it has been reported that after taking charge of the Home Ministry, Lamichhane has allegedly threatened to use cybercrime as a pretext to prosecute those who write against him. Sources suggest that this might be the reason why Ganeshman Singh Thakuri of Jajarkot resorted to consuming poison.
Depositors of Pokhara's Suryadarshan Cooperative Saving and Credit Cooperative have also filed a complaint against Rabi Lamichhane, alleging misappropriation of their funds. After receiving a complaint against Lamichhane on February 5, the police initiated an investigation. However, Lamichhane assumed the role of Home Minister before the investigation was completed and transferred the police team assigned to the investigation. The depositors claim that Rs 1.11 billion deposited in Suryadarshan Cooperative has been embezzled. Allegations against Lamichhane regarding the cooperative scam case have emerged in both Parliament and the streets. The government has decided to address this issue by convening a parliamentary session.
