Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala

Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala (File Photo)
Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala has said the government has taken seriously the abduction of Sitaram Prasai, a controversial banker wanted by the police on charges of fraud, by the Maoist-aligned Young Communist League (YCL).

“I have taken the matter [abduction] seriously. I will not spare anybody who engages in such acts,” Koirala told reporters in response to their queries during a tea reception organised in the honour of the business community at his official residence in Baluwatar Monday afternoon. He said the YCL had been acting waywardly.

“It appears to me that YCL stands for ‘young criminal league’,” a visibly annoyed Prime Minister said. He also ordered Home Minister Krishna Prasad Situala, who was present at the function, to take strict measures to maintain law and order.

The Prime Minister’s reaction to the abduction drama came hours after the YCL handed Sitaram Prasai, former chairman of Nepal Cottage and Small Industry Development Bank (NCSIDB) who has been accused of wrongfully giving loans worth Rs 280 million, over to the police.

YCL activists had abducted Prasai from the Bank’s office in Kamaladi Sunday afternoon and handed him over to the police officials at the Kathmandu District Police Office this afternoon.