Provincial assembly member of CPN from Gandaki Deepak Manange, real name Rajeev Gurung, manhandled President of All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) in Kaski Milan Gurung on Tuesday.
Far from denying the incident, the erstwhile gangster proudly told the media that he slapped Gurung before inauguration of the Chief Minister Cup Football Tournament at Bhandardhik, Lekhnath in Pokhara.
Gurung, meanwhile, claims that Manange did not just slap him but even kicked him. He lodged a public offense complaint against Manange with the District Police Office, Kaski on Wednesday.
Manange has also threatened to slap ANFA President Karma Tshering Sherpa.
Spokesperson with Kaski Police DSP Raj Kumar KC said investigation will now be initiated on the basis of the complaint. "We will investigate the case and then submit the complaint along with the investigation report to the District Administration Office," he stated.
Chief District Officer (CDO) can punish Manange on the basis of the investigation report. Such offense can be punished by a six-month sentence or a fine of Rs 10,000 or both. But Kaski CDO Ramesh KC does not seem to be too enthusiastic about punishing Manange and called it a minor incident.
"Why do you talk about such minor incident? Why make such a petty issue a big deal?" CDO KC asked Setopati.
He stated that the police will investigate the case and Manange can even be arrested when told that Manange is a provincial assembly member and manhandled another person at a public place. "I will take decision on the case after receiving the investigation report."
Manange had manhandled Gurung before inauguration of the Chief Minister Cup Football Tournament at Bhandardhik, Lekhnath in Pokhara.
Gurung claimed that Manange was demanding that Danfe Youth Club, which came to participate from Manang, be given hotel expenses from five days back, and added that Manange beat him when he refused to oblige.
Manange said he brought Gurung to sense after the latter talked big when Setopati asked about mishandling. "Players arrived from Manang a long time ago. They are neither being given ground to play or expenses," Manange stated. "I slapped him as he could not be convinced."
Manange, who had fought the election from Manang-B as an independent candidate after furor over reports about the then CPN-UML giving him the ticket, won with support of UML after the party's candidate withdrew candidacy apparently to facilitate Manange's win. He joined CPN last year.
Manange was sworn in as provincial lawmaker on January 28, 2019 over 16 months after winning the election.
Manange, who was serving a five-year sentence in an attempt to murder case, applied at the office of speaker in the province on December 27, 2018 after being released from Dilli Bazar Jail on bail by the Supreme Court (SC) administration on December 21, 2018.
Manange, who was elected as an independent candidate from Manang-B with support of the then CPN-UML, had gone into hiding after a five-year sentence slapped by the Patan Appellate Court on him six years ago for attempted murder was revealed at the Supreme Court (SC) on January 16, 2018.
Interpol had issued the red corner notice on initiative of the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police putting police in 192 member states after him. He was arrested on April 19, 2018 from Tindhara, Swoyambhu in Kathmandu. He was kept at the Dilli Bazar Jail since April 20.
The Patan Appellate Court in 2013 had sentenced Manange for five years in an attempt to murder case for the attack on another gangster Chakre Milan in 2005. The Patan Appellate Court had given clean chit to co-accused Ganesh Lama, Umesh Lama, Rewat Karki and Ramesh Sunuwar. Public prosecutors then moved the SC against the clean chit given to the four co-accused demanding punishment against them.
But the sentence against Manange was not enforced and he became provincial legislator of Province 4 winning the provincial election from Manang-B.
The unimplemented guilty verdict against Manange came to the fore only on January 16, 2018 when an advocate reached the SC bench of Deepak Raj Joshi and Purushottam Bhandari—that was hearing the case filed by the public prosecutors demanding punishment against the four acquitted by the Patan Appellate Court—pleading that his client Manange did not know about the verdict, consequently was not aware of the expiry of deadline of appeal, and hence could not appeal against the guilty verdict.
“You are not defendant on this case. The Patan Appellate Court’s verdict will be final for you,” the bench had told the lawyer.
