Chief of Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) Police Raju Pandey is found to have abused a female staffer in a way causing her mental stress, according to a report by a committee formed to investigate allegations of abuse against Pandey.
Deepak Adhikari, chief administrative officer of KMC, told Setopati that the committee submitted a 20-page report on its findings last Friday.
The report states that Pandey did not commit physical violence but abused the female staffer in a way as to cause her mental stress, according to Adhikari.
The report has recommended setting up a nursing room for female staffers and a daycare center for children of KMC staffers.
It has also recommended warning Pandey to ensure such incidents do not repeat in future.
Adhikari said that Pandey will be asked for clarification again.
KMC had formed a three-member committee on December 23 last year to investigate on Pandey and directed it to submit its report within 15 days. It had extended the committee’s deadline by two weeks on January 6 and again by a week on January 21.
Gopal Prasad Pokharel was the coordinator of the committee, which also comprised Sumitra Lamichhane and Kumari Rai.
Ganga Upreti, a head constable with the City Police, had submitted an application to chief administrative officer Basanta Adhikari on November 25 last year, and also to Deputy Mayor Sunita Dangol later, accusing Pandey of abusing her.
KMC had then sought clarification from Pandey on December 5, but he had submitted his clarification only on December 20.
Meanwhile, KMC presented Pandey with the 'Mahanagar Gaurav' award on the 28th KMC Day on December 15.
According to a source, there were disagreements within KMC over the decision to give the award to Pandey.
“We had said that a controversial person should not be given award,” the source said. “Basanta Adhikari did not agree. He argued that such things keep happening. It was solely his decision to give the award to Pandey.”
However, Adhikari denied it. He said that Pandey was given the award based on the selection committee’s decision as the allegations against him had not been proven. He said that it was the decision of the five-member selection committee, not his, to present the award to Pandey.
Adhikari himself was the coordinator of the selection committee, while Buddha Ratna Manandhar, Basanta Acharya, Archana Shakya and Mahesh Kafle were its members.
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