The Metropolitan Police Range, Teku yesterday refused to register an abduction case against two ruling NCP lawmakers Mahesh Basnet and Kisan Shrestha, and former inspector general of Nepal Police Sarbendra Khanal.

Lawmaker of the newly formed Janata Samajwadi Party-Nepal (JSP-N) Surendra Yadav, along with other leaders, had gone to the police office to file an FIR accusing Basnet, Shrestha and Khanal of trying to kidnap him.

According to DSP Hobindra Bogati, spokesperson for the Kathmandu Metropolitan Police Range, they could not register the complaint since the incident took place in Mahottari, an area which is not under Kathmandu Police’s jurisdiction.

According to JSP-N leader Keshav Jha, as per Section 46 of the new Criminal Procedure Code, a victim can lodge an FIR from the district s/he was abducted or from the district where conspiracy was hatched or where the crime was committed.

A national daily has quoted Rajendra Shrestha, a senior leader of JSP-N as saying, “The police refused to register the complaint as per orders from higher up.”

Following the police’s refusal, party leader Dr Baburam Bhattarai has launched a Twitter rampage against Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, calling him a fascist and comparing the prime minister with Hitler.

Bhattarai has also alleged that Yadav’s kidnapping on April 22 took place at the behest of the prime minister.

The turn of events amid a global pandemic and when the nation is in a lockdown has earned Oli a bad name and put him in a tight spot.

A majority of NCP Standing Committee members have been demanding that a meeting be held where Oli will answer their questions whereas Oli is busy requesting senior leaders to defer the meeting.

Similarly, Nepal Police is at the receiving end of public wrath after the arrest of former government secretary Bhim Upadhay, allegedly at the behest of the government, over his social media posts.

Upadhyay was arrested on the charge of misusing social media for character assassination and defaming the government, as well as the PM, despite no official FIR against him.

Police said Upadhyay was charged on the basis of four Facebook and Twitter posts where he criticised the government and the PM.

Upadhyay has been charged under Section 47 of Electronic Transaction Act that prohibits Nepalis from publishing content on social media that goes against public morality or decent behaviour or spreads hate or prejudice against anyone or jeopardises harmonious relations subsisting among peoples of different castes, tribes or communities.

Those found violating the act are liable to be slapped with a fine not exceeding Rs 1 lakh or with imprisonment not exceeding five years or both.