The main opposition party, the Nepali Congress, has sought an explanation from Prime Minister Balen Shah regarding reports that the chief and other officials of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) were allegedly confined inside the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers at Singha Durbar recently and pressured to issue an arrest warrant against the director general of the Department of Passports.
Speaking in the House of Representatives meeting on Thursday, Nepali Congress lawmaker Narendra Kumar Kerung cited a live broadcast made by journalist Sitaram Baral on Facebook from the premises of the Prime Minister's Office on Wednesday, and stressed that the government must clarify the facts.
"This is an extremely serious matter. Journalist Sitaram Baral has said this in a live broadcast from in front of the Prime Minister's Office. In this country where there is civilian supremacy, a shameful matter has emerged regarding the working style of this government, which was established on the slogans of democracy and good governance. There are reports that the chief and officials of the CIAA, a constitutional body, were confined inside the Prime Minister’s Office and coerced into issuing an arrest warrant from there, with threats of detention if they failed to comply,” he said. "The truth about this matter must come out. The prime minister should inform the House. A parliamentary probe committee should also be formed."
Recently, the CIAA detained and questioned Tirtha Raj Aryal, director general of the Department of Passports.
Lawmaker Kerung also noted that constitutional bodies have their own independent authority and jurisdiction.
