Arrest warrant against Nepal minister for slapping govt. official

The Nepal Police have issued an arrest warrant against a woman minister in the Madhav Kumar Nepal government for allegedly slapping a senior official earlier this week, reports Utpal Parashar.

Updated on: Nov 13, 2009, 15:17:05 IST

Hindustan Times | By Utpal Parashar, Kathmandu

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

The Nepal Police have issued an arrest warrant against a woman minister in the Madhav Kumar Nepal government for allegedly slapping a senior official earlier this week.

Police in Parsa district issued the warrant against Minister of State for Agriculture and Cooperatives Karima Begum on charges of assaulting Chief District Officer Durga Prasad Bhandari on Tuesday.

Upset with the official for sending an old car to pick her up from airport, Begum allegedly slapped him five times in public. Bhandari told journalists that he sent an old vehicle as there was no other in his possession.

The warrant was issued after the CDO’s bodyguard lodged a case against Begum on Thursday. Police spokesperson Bigyan Raj Sharma told reporters that the warrant has been circulated to several districts to arrest the minister.

While Begum initially admitted to having slapped the official for sending an old car, she later changed stance and stated that her anger was directed against Bhandari for failing to carry out developmental work.

The incident has affected work in government offices and banks at Parsa for the past four days with employees abstaining from work demanding action against the minister belonging to Madheshi People’s Rights Forum (Democratic).

Terming the incident as deplorable, the National Human Rights Commission has also issued a release asking ministers and bureaucrats to behave. Without naming anyone, it asked both to be dignified in their dealings.

The Home Ministry had earlier regretted mistreatment of the official by Begum and on Thursday the parliamentary party meeting of MPRF (Democratic), a coalition partner of the ruling government, also discussed the issue.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Utpal Parashar
A seasoned senior journalist, I have nearly three decades of experience across print, digital, and online platforms, covering political transitions, insurgencies, environmental issues, and development stories in India and Nepal. I am skilled in breaking news, leading editorial teams and launch of newspaper editions. I am adept at leveraging digital trends and social media to expand global reach, with a strong ethical foundation and a reputation for impactful journalism. An alumnus of Asian College of Journalism, I joined Hindustan Times in New Delhi as a trainee reporter in May 1997. Over the years, I have been posted in Dehradun, Kathmandu (Nepal) and Guwahati. Currently, as Senior Assistant Editor at Hindustan Times, I lead a team reporting on India’s northeastern states. My work involves in-depth analysis, and engaging multimedia storytelling across formats, including text, photo, video, and interactive content. I am skilled in producing timely, shareable content, leveraging digital platforms and social media to engage global audiences. Throughout my career with the Hindustan Times, I have led diverse editorial teams, designed capacity-building activities, and supported reporters in developing strong story ideas, ethical reporting practices, digital skills, and fact-checking techniques. As Senior Assistant Editor for Northeast India, I have been responsible for guiding correspondents through complex political, humanitarian, and community-level stories using multimedia formats. Earlier, as Foreign Correspondent in Nepal, I produced extensive reporting during Nepal’s democratic transition and the 2015 earthquake and its aftermath.Read More

Get the latest headlines from US news and global updates from Pakistan, Nepal, UK, Bangladesh, Russia and US Iran war Live, get all the latest headlines in one place on Hindustan Times.