Senior Leader of Nepali Congress (NC) Ram Chandra Paudel, who was arrested in his home district Tanahu on charge of violating prohibitory orders earlier on Wednesday, has been released in the evening.
He commented that the government abused authority to arrest him upon his release and announced that he will go to inaugurate the bridge Thursday morning.
Paudel was arrested while going to inaugurate the bridge over Buldi connecting Talghare and Dumsi in Vyas.
NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba had earlier called Prime Minister (PM) KP Sharma Oli and asked him to immediately release Paudel.
"President Deuba talked over the phone with the PM about the issue of senior leader. President told him to release him soon," a source with Deuba's secretariat confided. "PM in response said he will be released."
The source added that Deuba also asked Oli about the reason for arresting Paudel.
Paudel was scheduled to inaugurate the bridge in the afternoon but ruling CPN and its youth wing organized a motorcycle rally and demonstrated at around 11 protesting that he should not inaugurate the bridge constructed with federal budget.
The administration then announced prohibitory orders until six in the evening fearing clash between cadres of NC and CPN.
Paudel was arrested from Talghare in Vyas municipality 1 after he moved toward the bridge for inauguration. "He breached the security cordon. We have taken him under control for violating prohibitory orders and kept him at the District Police Office," Chief District Officer of Tanahu Sagar Acharya told Setopati.
CDO Acharya claimed that Paudel has been arrested considering security threats to him.
