Online campaign launched for jailed Nepali teacher

An online campaign is underway seeking release of a Nepali teacher who has been lodged in a Qatari jail for over a week now on charges of insulting Islam.

Updated on: May 11, 2013, 24:57:05 IST

Hindustan Times | By Utpal Parashar, Kathmandu

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An online campaign is underway seeking release of a Nepali teacher who has been lodged in a Qatari jail for over a week now on charges of insulting Islam.

Dorje Gurung, a chemistry teacher of the Doha-based Qatar Academy, who hails from Pokhara in Nepal, was arrested last Wednesday, on charges of insulting Islam. He has denied the charge.

Gurung, who was fired last week following an argument with three 12-year-old students of the school in April, was preparing the leave Qatar when he was arrested and put in jail.

Reports say Gurung was being harassed by the students for his Mongoloid looks, but things turned worse when he reportedly asked them to refrain from stereotyping people.

The teacher has been accused to terming all Muslims as terrorists, but reports say his statement to students on how would they feel if they are stereotyped as terrorists was given a wrong interpretation.

If convicted, Gurung, could be sentenced to seven years imprisonment. Reports say he has no legal representation and the Nepali embassy in Doha is trying to get in touch with him.

As the news of the arrest reached Nepal, a campaign to release the teacher, who has spent 24 years abroad pursuing higher studies in USA and UK and then teaching in nearly dozen countries, has begun.

Gurung’s friends since his schooldays at the prestigious St. Xavier’s School in Kathmandu have started a Facebook page called Free Dorje Gurung to drum up support for his release.

The former students are trying to exert pressure on the country’s foreign affairs ministry to take up the matter with the Qatar government.

An online petition is also being signed urging the Qatar government to release Gurung from his “wrongful imprisonment”.

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

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