Kathmandu, 31 October (H.S.): The controversy surrounding the detention of journalists and police intervention in newsrooms in Nepal has intensified, with Nepal Police defending its action and maintaining that there was nothing inappropriate about summoning certain journalists to the Cyber Bureau for routine clarification regarding the accuracy of news reports. In a statement issued shortly after midnight, the police described the move as justified and said it had been undertaken with good intentions.

Late on Friday night, police personnel in plain clothes entered the newsrooms of several media organisations and took some journalists into custody. They were subsequently released following widespread protests. Nepal Police issued an official statement through a WhatsApp group at around 1:40 am, explaining its position on the matter.

In the statement, Nepal Police spokesperson Abi Narayan Kafle said misleading reports and messages targeting the police had recently been circulating continuously on social media and through various communication platforms. He expressed concern that such content could adversely affect the professional image of the police, public confidence in the institution and relations between the government and the police organisation.

He also said that the Prime Minister's Office had expressed concern over the matter. Against this backdrop, the Cyber Bureau had summoned certain journalists to seek routine clarification regarding the accuracy, factual basis and legal grounds of their news reports.

Describing the move as part of the police force's regular operational responsibilities, the spokesperson maintained that the action had been taken with proper intentions.

On Friday evening, police personnel in plain clothes took Bishwamani Subedi of Nepal Press, Dhiraj Basnet of DNA Khabar and Shobharaj Baral of Motivate News into custody from their respective newsrooms.

Similarly, police personnel also reached the office of Naya Patrika to take journalist Navaraj Mainali into custody. However, as Mainali was not present, the officers engaged in a heated discussion with Naya Patrika editor Khagendra Pant that lasted approximately two and a half hours.

The detention of the journalists triggered widespread protests and criticism. Subsequently, the secretariat of Prime Minister Balendra Shah clarified that neither the Prime Minister nor his secretariat or office had any involvement in the police action.

Prime Minister's press adviser Deepa Dahal issued a statement on Facebook on Friday evening, saying that the Prime Minister had no prior knowledge of the journalists' detention. She added that immediately after being informed about the incident, Shah had instructed the concerned authorities to release the detained journalists without delay and explicitly directed them not to enter newsrooms or carry out any form of detention there.

In its statement, Nepal Police also reiterated that it regards the press as the fourth pillar of the state and maintains a positive outlook towards journalists. The police further reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding press freedom and ensuring the security of media professionals.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar