Armed Police Force (APF) Additional Inspector General (AIG) Banshi Raj Dahal was suspended over his contacts with former chief justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana and Inam Sapkota from Jhapa, it has emerged.
The Ministry of Home Affairs suspended Dahal on Monday evening on charges of “leaking sensitive security-related information.”
A statement issued by Home Ministry spokesperson Ananda Kafle said that the APF had recommended action against Dahal, alleging that he had “committed an act contrary to the code of conduct by leaking sensitive information related to security.”
The Home Ministry has not yet disclosed what information Dahal allegedly leaked, to whom, or for what purpose.
However, according to sources, the investigation focused on an incident in which Dahal visited the Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Office in Teku on the night Rana was arrested, as well as his subsequent contact with Inam Sapkota of Jhapa.
Police arrested Rana around midnight on September 26.
Rana, who was arrested citing a security threat, was taken to the Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Office in Teku at around 3 a.m. Neither Nepal Police nor the Home Ministry has publicly clarified what security threat Rana faced.
Dahal also went to the Crime Investigation Office in Teku on the same night Rana was arrested.
Rana and Dahal are also relatives.
According to sources, Nepal Police reported through its headquarters to the Home Ministry that Dahal had arrived at the Crime Investigation Office at around 3 a.m. that night.
Sources say an investigation into Dahal was launched after the report reached Home Minister Sudan Gurung.
Police detained Rana for around 12 hours. During that period, police also checked his phone, and information obtained from it led investigators to Jhapa’s Inam Sapkota, according to sources.
A few days later, a Special Bureau team detained Sapkota and questioned him. Sources claim that the investigation revealed contact between Sapkota and AIG Dahal.
According to sources, conversations and messages exchanged between Dahal and Sapkota also came under investigation.
A source said that investigators found evidence that Dahal had provided Sapkota with sensitive security-related information.
The APF headquarters subsequently sought an explanation from Dahal. Although Dahal submitted his explanation, the headquarters recommended to the Home Ministry for action against him.
Sapkota's statement on his relationship with Rana
Sources said that during police questioning, Sapkota also gave a statement about his relationship with former chief justice Rana.
According to sources, Sapkota told police during questioning, “Cholendra used me.”
Sapkota is currently being held in the custody of the District Police Range, Kathmandu. A seven-day remand has been obtained to investigate him for indecent behavior.
According to sources, Sapkota was also found to have been in contact with Deepak Bhatta, who recently approached the Supreme Court with a habeas corpus petition.
Sources claim that the discovery of Sapkota's contacts with both Rana and Bhatta led investigators to suspect there may have been attempts to influence or manipulate legal proceedings.
Following Rana's arrest, the Home administration transferred Bhatta from Nakkhu Prison to Sindhupalchowk Prison.
Claims of contacts with senior officials
According to highly placed sources, the investigation has revealed that Sapkota had contacts with various high-ranking individuals. Sources say this included contact with AIG Dahal.
“This person's name had not been heard before. But it now appears that he has connections with many senior officials,” a source said.
Sources also say that Sapkota holds US permanent residency and frequently travels between Nepal and the United States.
Police also examined Sapkota's mobile phone during the investigation, according to sources. A source said that WhatsApp conversations on the phone included discussions with another individual concerning financial transactions.
Dahal suspended eight days before retirement
Following Dahal's suspension, the Home Ministry appointed another AIG, Anjani Pokharel, as the investigation officer. Pokharel has been instructed to complete the investigation within three days and submit a report to the ministry.
Dahal was due to retire on October 13 after completing his four-year term.
The APF headquarters had even sent a proposal to the Home Ministry seeking an extension of his tenure, based on a provision in the APF regulations allowing a one-year extension.
However, he was suspended just eight days before his scheduled retirement.
Dahal was one of three AIGs in the Armed Police Force. He had also been among the contenders in the recent race for appointment as inspector general of police.
On the day Dahal was suspended, Home Minister Gurung described information leaks on social media as a “betrayal of the country and the organization.”
"Whoever they may be, anyone who knowingly betrays the country and the organization by compromising the confidentiality entrusted to them by the state will not receive any immunity and will be brought before the law," he wrote.
