Police took three journalists into custody and visited several newsrooms in Kathmandu on Friday, prompting condemnation from press bodies, lawyers and political parties. Those detained were released later that evening.
Nepal Press journalist Bishwamani Subedi was taken from the newsroom in New Baneshwar by plainclothes officers. Nepal Press editor Matrika Poudel said he was questioned about the sources and basis of a published report. Motivate News editor Shobharaj Baral and DNA Khabar editor-in-chief Dhiraj Basnet were also taken into custody.
Plainclothes officers entered the Putalisadak newsroom of Naya Patrika looking for reporter Nawaraj Mainali. Staff said the officers showed no arrest warrant and said they had instructions from senior officials. Police also visited the Diyo Post office in Anamnagar looking for editor-in-chief Sudip Bishwakarma and news coordinator Madan Dhungana, but left without finding them.
Link to reporting on the police chief
The operation appears to be linked to a report on October 28 claiming that the government had asked Inspector General Dan Bahadur Karki to resign and was pressuring him to leave. The report also connected the alleged pressure to Karki’s contacts with Inam Sapkota, who is being investigated over money-laundering allegations. These are allegations in the report, not established facts. Police have not publicly detailed the legal grounds for taking the journalists from their newsrooms.
Poudel said he would provide relevant material to a competent court or the Press Council if legally required, rather than disclose sources informally to police. A Cyber Bureau spokesperson said the journalists had been called in for questioning, not arrested.
Official responses
Police spokesperson Abi Narayan Kaflesaid in a police WhatsApp group around 1:40 am on October 31 that, following reports critical of the police and concerns raised by the Prime Minister’s Office, the Cyber Bureau had invited journalists in good faith to seek general information on the accuracy and legal basis of their claims. Police headquarters had earlier warned of legal action against attempts to weaken the force or draw it into controversy.
Prime Minister Balendra Shah’s press and research adviser, Dipa Dahal, said Shah ordered the detainees released and told authorities not to enter newsrooms or act against journalists there. The Prime Minister’s Secretariat denied prior knowledge of the operation. Information and Communication Technology Minister Bikram Timilsina confirmed the releases and reiterated the government’s commitment to press freedom.
Legal questions
Article 17 of the Constitution guarantees freedom of expression, with reasonable restrictions for specified matters such as defamation and incitement. Article 19 bars censorship of published material and says media organisations and their equipment cannot be closed or seized because of what they publish. Article 20 requires that an arrested person be told the grounds, may consult a lawyer, and must be produced before a judicial authority within 24 hours. Journalists can be investigated for a legally defined offence, but the investigation must have a lawful basis and follow due process.
The Press Council Nepal held an emergency meeting and objected to police entering newsrooms and taking journalists into custody without disclosing the legal grounds, saying complaints about news content should go through established mechanisms. Chairperson Umesh Shrestha also criticised the police headquarters’ warning.
Reactions
The Federation of Nepali Journalists called the action an attack on press freedom, and its president Nirmala Sharma said the government could not escape responsibility by claiming it did not know. A silent protest was held today on October 31, 2026 at the Maitighar Mandala by the members of Federatoin of Nepali journalists. Freedom Forum executive chief Taranath Dahal said detaining journalists to identify sources contradicts free-press principles. The Nepal Bar Association president compared the intervention with practices under the royal regime.
Nepali Congress General Secretary Pradip Paudel demanded the release of the journalists, and Rastriya Swatantra Party spokesperson Jagadish Kharel said arresting or intimidating journalists over reporting goes against constitutional guarantees.
Journalists and press-freedom advocates, including former FNJ president Shiva Gaunle, have likened the episode to the media restrictions after King Gyanendra’s takeover on February 1, 2005. The events are not identical, since 2005 involved a wider state takeover.
Earlier case
In August, Kishor Shrestha, editor-in-chief of Jana Aastha Weekly and a former acting chairperson of the Press Council, was arrested over a privacy complaint under the Privacy Act, 2018, according to the International Federation of Journalists. He was released on bail after the Supreme Court ruled further custody was unwarranted and directed that complaints about news content be handled through the Press Council. That case involved a different complaint.
Unanswered questions
It remains unclear which police office initiated the operation, who gave the instruction, whether a formal complaint was registered, which offence was being investigated, and whether any officer has been asked to explain the newsroom visits.
