The grilling of photo journalist, Kumar Shrestha, a contributor to Nepalnews.com, by Maoist cadres in Kathmandu has been condemned by the Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ), senior media personnel and free expression groups.

On Friday, Maoist cadres grilled, threatened and harassed Kumar Shrestha as he was covering a mass meeting organized under the banner of ‘United Democratic Front’ at Shahid Mancha, Tundikhel. President of Maoist-affiliated student body, ANNFSU (Revolutionary) Lekhnath Neupane, and chairman of Maoist-affiliated trade union, Shalik Ram Jamarkattel, appeared for the first time in more than three years in the Nepali capital to take part in the public function.

As the Maoist-affiliated leaders were delivering fiery speeches at the Open Air Theatre, which is juxtaposed to the Royal Nepalese Army (RNA) pavilion, Maoist ‘volunteers’ pushed Kumar and two of his friends aside and started questioning them regarding their affiliation. They later singled out Kumar and alleged that he was a ‘spy’ who would later give the photos of the Maoist leaders to the RNA. Kumar showed his photo I-D and introduced himself as a professional photo-journalist but to no avail.

The ‘revolutionaries’ then forced him to a close alley at the backside of the Open Air Theatre, which was under their control, and grilled him for over two hours. They took all his footage, searched his mobile entires and warned him of dire consequences. “It was a nightmare,” Kumar later told us. “I have visited Maoist strongholds including Rolpa in the past. But nowhere I was treated so badly,” he added.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) said Kumar Shrestha from Himalayan Films, Amit Sthapit of Yuva Hunkaar and Bimal Raj Gautam, a colleague of Kumar were interrogated by the members of the Maoist-affiliated students’ union, ANFSU (Revolutionary) at the Open Air Theatre on Friday. “When FNJ talked to the President of the Union (Lekhnath Neupane), he said that they were interrogated because the Union members couldn’t recognize them,” the statement added. FNJ office-bearers have condemned the manhandling of all three journalists.

Commenting on the incident, editor of Himal Southasian magazine Kanak Mani Dixit said, “The Maoists have to learn very quickly to operate in an open society where media is free and professional.”

Dixit further said Kumar Shrestha represents the finest of photo journalists who have professionally covered the movement for return to peace and democracy in Nepal. “Let the rebel leadership educate its cadres as to the requirements of free society where ideas rather than the threat of violence will open up the path to above-ground politics,” he added.

Condemning the incident, editor of Nepalnews.com Bhagirath Yogi said, “Such an act is simply unacceptable. At a time when the media, civil society and the entire population of Nepal are lending helping hands for the safe-landing of the decade-old insurgency, the Maoists must prove that they are worthy to operate in a free and civilized society.” He further said mistreatment and intimidation of a photo-journalist at a public function right in the heart of the capital shows the extent of threat Nepali journalists are facing both at the hands of the state as well as the rebels.

While he was covering the infamous Gongabu incident in the capital on the fifth day of the pro-democracy movement (April 11)—when security personnel crossed all limits to suppress the pro-democracy activists—Kumar was hit with a rubber bullet on his arm. He was left unconscious, was later taken to a hospital and was discharged the next day (See: Pic). He is back in action in the streets of Kathmandu with the bullet still in his arm.

In a statement issued Monday, the Center for Human Rights and Democratic Studies (CEHURDES)—a Kathmandu-based freedom of expression monitoring group—condemned the misbehaviour against Shrestha and called upon the Maoist leadership to probe into the incident and punish the guilty. “As Maoists are coming out in the open thanks to the people’s movement 2006, they must not repeat past mistakes of harassing, abducting and even killing the journalists. Freedom of expression is the corner stone of an open society which the Maoists must respect,” the organization added.

Even after four days, there has been no clarification from the side of the Maoists regarding the incident.