Kathmandu, July 13
Suspicious vehicles were parked outside the offices of Onlinekhabar, Himalaya TV, and Kantipur Media House on Monday morning, blocking access to the premises.
The vehicles were parked in a similar manner at all three media houses at around the same time. After noticing the suspicious parking, the media organisations informed the police, who arrived at the locations and began searching for the owners of the vehicles. Police have not yet identified who was responsible.
Pawan Bhattarai, SP and spokesperson for the Kathmandu District Police Range, said the vehicles would be taken to the police office for investigation to establish the facts. He said police are investigating who parked the vehicles and for what purpose.
The incident, which obstructed access to the media organisations, has raised concern among stakeholders.
The Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) issued a statement saying that suspicious vehicles had been parked directly at the gates of the media houses, obstructing journalists from entering their workplaces and creating an atmosphere of fear.
“Since 7 am today, suspicious vehicles have been parked at the gates of Kantipur Publications in Tinkune, Onlinekhabar in New Baneshwor, and Himalaya Television in Mid-Baneshwor, causing difficulties for journalists commuting to work,” the statement, issued by FNJ General Secretary Ram Prasad Dahal, said.
The federation urged the concerned authorities to immediately remove the vehicles and ensure the safety of journalists and media institutions.
The FNJ also called for an immediate investigation into what it described as a condemnable and mysterious incident that obstructed media operations and journalists’ right to work, and demanded legal action against those responsible.
A delegation led by FNJ President Nirmala Sharma visited Onlinekhabar and the other affected media houses to inspect the situation. Sharma described the incident as suspicious and apparently premeditated, urging the government to take the security of journalists and media organisations seriously.
Onlinekhabar Editor-in-Chief Basanta Basnet also urged the FNJ delegation to play an active role in ensuring a safe environment for journalists to carry out their work.
