Kathmandu, August 23
Former prime minister Baburam Bhattarai has urged the government to monitor social media accounts spreading misleading, threatening and hate-inducing content that could undermine religious and social harmony.
Issuing a statement through his secretariat, Bhattarai called on the public to remain cautious of manipulated videos, misleading images and posts aimed at creating religious hatred and social divisions.
He also urged the government to investigate individuals and groups involved in such activities and take action against their social media accounts in accordance with the law.
“While respecting freedom of expression and ideological freedom, the state must intervene effectively against activities that harm religious beliefs, personal security, reputation and social harmony,” Bhattarai said.
His secretariat said the statement was issued after attempts by some individuals and groups, allegedly driven by political interests, to portray Bhattarai as anti-Hindu by using the religious sentiments of Nepal’s Hindu majority.
It said old videos and statements had been taken out of context and circulated through manipulated images, posters and social media posts to create a misleading narrative about his views.
The statement stressed that secularism does not mean opposition to any religion. Rather, it said, secularism requires the state to treat all religions and beliefs equally while ensuring citizens’ freedom to follow a religion, hold a belief or choose not to have one.
It also said belief in science, adoption of a scientific outlook or atheism falls within an individual’s ideological freedom and should not be portrayed as hostility towards any religion or religious community.
Bhattarai’s secretariat further objected to what it described as prejudiced attempts to portray debates over caste practices, discrimination and social inequality within Hindu society as attacks on Hinduism.
“Questioning social practices within any religion, culture or tradition, engaging in critical debate and calling for reform are natural processes in a democratic society,” the statement said.
It argued that presenting debates on social justice and equality as hatred against a religion or religious community amounted to distortion of facts.
The statement also expressed concern over threatening posts and what it described as coordinated attempts to create misleading narratives around Bhattarai by separating his past statements from their broader context.
Such activities, it warned, could threaten not only an individual’s safety and reputation but also religious tolerance, social harmony and national unity.
