Leader of the Dahal-Nepal faction and member of the dissolved House of Representatives (HoR) Ram Kumari Jhakri has been arrested over her comments about President Bidya Devi Bhandari Thursday afternoon.
A Metropolitan Police Crime Division team led by DSP Durga Raj Regmi arrested Jhakri from her residence in Shankhamul, Kathmandu on the basis of a warrant issued citing clause 58 of the National Penal Code 2017 related to prohibition of intimidation of president or parliament under the offenses against the state.
"No person shall intimidate, whether by using any kind of force or not, show fear or terror to, or otherwise overawe the President or Parliament of Nepal with intent to prevent or restrain the President or Parliament of Nepal from performing any of the functions required to be performed pursuant to the Constitution or law or compel the President or Parliament of Nepal to perform the functions in any specific manner," reads clause 58.
She can be jailed for up to seven years if found guilty.
She agreed for arrest amidst loud and incendiary sloganeering against Prime Minister (PM) KP Sharma Oli and President Bhandari by cadres stating that she will cooperate with the police in capacity of a law-abiding honest citizen.
"I am giving arrest from my residence in accordance to the government's order," she said addressing the cadres and media that gathered at her residence. She thanked the party cadres for their love and support, and also apologized if there was any misbehavior toward the police personnel who had come to implement the state's laws.
Jhakri had criticized President Bhandari for involvement in active politics while addressing a program in Siranchowk rural municipality of Gorkha on January 29. "What to talk about the president! Great queen apparently said election will be held. I send message to the great queen from Gorkha. You may as well return to Koteshwore leaving the carcade of Shital Niwas. She apparently has house in Chabahil or somewhere else. She can even go to Balkot if not there."
Oli has a house in Balkot where he resided until he became the PM.
Jhakri had also called the decision of the then CPN-UML to field Bhandari in election after death of her husband and the then UML general secretary Madan Bhandari a mistake. "The culture that CPN-UML started of fielding in white sari after murder of Madan Bhandari, Bidya Devi Bhandari is counter productive result of that. Things go awry when one is done with ideology and does politics showing hair, nose and clothes," Jhakri had claimed.
Jhakri's statement against President Bhandari especially the Balkot reference was widely condemned. The women's association of the Oli faction demanded arrest of Jhakri for what it called abuse of President Bidya Devi Bhandari.
Handing over a memorandum letter to Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa, the association had demanded Jhakri be arrested for character assassination of President Bhandari.
Jhakri had referred to the allegations against her even during the protest program organized by the Dahal-Nepal faction in Kathmandu on Wednesday. She took to the dais with black tape over her mouth and stressed that people can speak in democracy.
