Nepal Police has half-heartedly defended its chief, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Shyam Bhakta Thapa, after a leading private sector daily alleged that the police chief was protecting his P. A., police inspector Suresh Kumar Dhungana, against whom there were allegations of corruption, dacoity and manslaughter.

The state-run The Rising Nepal daily on Wednesday quoted Police headquarters as expressing “serious concern over the news reports involving two policemen, carried in serials by a vernacular daily and some other newspapers, and implicating the Inspector General of Police (IGP).”

”In response to a petition relating to a case of robbery in the involvement of Inspector Suresh Dhungana and Sub-inspector Kiran Joshi, IGP’s office had instructed Kathmandu District Police Office for necessary investigation. The investigation found the two police officers along with Bal Kumar Luitel, jamadar of Bhairabnath Battalion, Nar Bahadur Siwakoti, an assistant level employee at Dolakha District Development Committee, and Pemba Dorje Sherpa of Boudha to have been involved in the case. The police authorities have forwarded the case to the Office of Kathmandu district attorneys Tuesday,” the TRN news report said quoting the police HQ. her house at Nakatirayapur, Saptari

Jahari Yadav with her grandson in front of her house at Nakatirayapur, Saptari (Photo courtesy: Kantipur daily)
The official daily quoted police headquarter as saying that in relation to a case of road accident involving Dhungana at Nakatirayapur of Saptari district that resulted in the death of two individuals, Jahari Devi and Rita Devi, the spouses of the deceased have been provided a compensation of Rs. 160,000 following necessary investigations. The police authorities had sent the case to the Office of Saptari district attorneys who filed a case at Saptari District Court. The driver of the vehicle Tul Bahadur Gurung was released on bail as per the provision of Transportation Act, 2049 B. S. The police authority has also expressed commitment to conduct necessary investigations on all the complaints involving police personnel and punish the guilty, the news report further said.

On February 16, Kantipur daily reported that famous mountaineer Pemba Dorje Sherpa, who set two-world records while summitting Mount Everest, was taken into custody acting upon the complaints of the victims of a swindling scandal triggered by police inspector Suresh Dhungana who works at the secretariat of Inspector General of Police (IGP).

“I have been cheated. I have no involvement in this scandal. Inspector Dhungana forced me to sign the paper by threatening me with a pistol on my temple,” Khim Ghale of the daily quoted Sherpa as saying. “I had actually gone to IGP office to lodge a complaint regarding continuous death threats given to me and my uncle’s death,” he added.

Sherpa said he had also received threats after he set record by climbing Mount Everest in 12 hours. He had gone to IGP office to keep the IGP abreast of all these things, he said.

A day later, Kedar Ojha of the same daily wrote a front-page news report alleging that IGP Thapa was utilizing his clout to ‘save’ Dhungana. The daily also quoted sources as saying that IGP Thapa had hidden his property in the name of Dhungana.

Police headquarters neither confirmed nor denied these news reports.

On Feb. 22, Kantipur daily again followed up the story and reported that sort of “cold war” was going on between the District Police Office (DPO), Kathmandu and the police headquarter. Upon knowing that Dhungana had already obtained a visa for the US, DPO informed the security posts at the Tribhuvan International Airport and Thankot check post not to allow Dhungana to venture out of the capital. The daily quoted a highly placed senior police officer as saying that he was baffled to see IGP Thapa keeping mum at a time when the scandal had brought bad name to the entire police force.

Spacious bungalow bought by police inspector Dhungana in Kathmandu

Spacious bungalow bought by police inspector Dhungana in Kathmandu (Photo courtesy: Kantipur daily)
A day later (on Feb. 23), the leading daily reported that Inspector Dhungana had bought a huge bungalow worth Rs 9.3 million at posh Bishalnagar area of the capital within four years of joining the police service. A day later, the daily published the photo of the bungalow in its front page (See: pic). The same day (on Feb. 24), Kantipur published a front page news report by its Biratnagar-based reporter, Binod Bhandari, saying that IGP Thapa intervened to protect his P. A. Dhungana once again when the latter opened fire at fellow policemen right in front of deputy inspector general of police Ashok Shrestha in Biratnagar.

According to the daily, a Tata Sumo jeep (with plate no. Ba 4 Cha 435) being driven by inspector Dhungana knocked down and killed Sitaram Yadav, 50, and his 26-year-old son Bachhan Yadav near Rayapur chowk along the Mahendra highway in the eastern district of Saptari on Dec. 28 last year. Dhungana was taken into custody and was produced before DIG Shrestha a day later where he warned the senior police officer not to take any action against him and left the regional police office. He reportedly opened fire at two policemen who were following him but nobody was injured. Police later recorded that the vehicle was “being driven” by one Tul Bahadur Gurung, who was also traveling in the same vehicle. In a box news, the newspaper report said that Dhungana was the son of priest of IGP Thapa and was heading towards Koshi barrage and Paterawa police post allegedly to raise money.

The next day (Feb. 25) Kantipur daily published the photo of Jahari Devi of Nakatirayapur, Saptari, along with her grandson in its front page. In a moving story, Dilli Ram Khatiwada reported from Nakatirayapur that Yadav family had been in shambles following the death of their breadwinners. Sitaram and Bachhan Yadav were returning to their house from district headquarter, Rajbiraj, along with a water buffalo they had bought on that fateful day. Bachhan’s wife, 20-year-old Ritadevi, was in the fifth month of her pregnancy when her husband was killed, the news report said.

Again, the police headquarter did not respond.

On Sunday (Feb. 26), Kantipur daily reported that Superintendent of Police Rajendra Singh Bhandari, who was deployed at the IGP’s office, had been transferred. S. P. Bhandari was working as an investigation officer in Dhungana’s case and had reportedly submitted a report to IGP Thapa to take action against Dhungana. The police headquarter has also brought the Tata Sumo jeep that hit Yadav duo to Kathmandu, a separate news report in the daily said.

It was only after the series of expose that the state-run The Rising Nepal daily quoted police headquarter responding to the scandal on Wednesday. Interestingly, the clarification by police headquarter, which has not been carried by other media including the state-run Gorkhapatra, has failed to respond to serious allegations leveled by the Kantipur daily.

So, would the government’s response have been the same if there was a functioning parliament?

Talking to Nepalnews, editor of Kantipur daily, Narayan Wagle, said, “Our institutions hesitate to accept public criticism. This episode has shown very clearly that you can’t enforce existing rules and regulations in the absence of the parliament.”

Inspector Dhungana and another co-accused junior police officer in the case of dacoity remain at large as of now.

When quizzed in the capital last week (on Feb. 24) about the scandal, royal-appointed Home Minister Kamal Thapa told reporters that he will take action against police officers against whom there were charges of abduction and dacoity. “Action would be taken even against IGP Thapa if he is found involved,” said Minister Thapa.

Few would like to take the minister’s statement at face value.