English News:
Chandrabahadur Thapa, Chair of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) in Pokhara-10, has been sent to prison for his alleged involvement in arson and vandalism during the recent Gen-Z protests. A formal complaint accuses him of setting fire to and damaging the house of Pokhara Mayor Dhanraj Acharya.
The Kaski District Court ordered judicial custody for Thapa and four others. According to Inspector Ganesh Pandey of Kaski Police, Judge Himalal Belbase decided to send Thapa, along with Bina Malla (also known as Bimala Sapkota) and Buddhi (also known as Chinbahadur Khawas), to prison for further investigation on charges of criminal disturbance, robbery, and theft.
A minor involved in the incident has been sent to a juvenile correction center. Thapa’s brother, Haribahadur Thapa (nicknamed Khali), was released on a bail of Rs 200,000.
The complaint includes photo and video evidence showing the accused vandalizing government property and attacking the Mayor’s residence on the second day of the protest. Following the circulation of these visuals on social media, the RSP suspended Thapa even before his arrest. Madi-6 Chair Bhojraj Paudel was also suspended over related allegations.
Kaski Police have intensified arrests of individuals who used the protests as an opportunity to damage public and private property. So far:
- 57 people have been arrested,
- 14 sent to jail for judicial custody,
- 29 remain in police detention, and
- 14 have been released on bail.
Government and individual complaints with supporting evidence have been filed against those involved. According to official data, the district suffered an estimated Rs 5 billion in total damages.
Damage details reported by Kaski Administration include:
- 116 government offices affected
- 26 federal offices
- 33 provincial offices
- Damage to buildings and vehicles totaling Rs 2.18 billion
- 329 vehicles damaged
- 119 four-wheelers
- 210 two-wheelers
- 27 cases of vandalism and arson on private property, including hotels and residences of political leaders, amounting to Rs 2.73 billion in losses.
If you’d like, I can prepare a short version, YouTube news script, or news graphic text for this story.
About the Author
