Kailash Sirohiya, Chairman of Kantipur Media Group, has accused Home Minister Ravi Lamichhane of seeking revenge by misusing power and authority. The accusation comes after the District Court Dhanusha issued an arrest warrant against Sirohia in a citizenship dispute case.
In a statement released on Tuesday afternoon, Sirohiya said he understood the arrest warrant as preparation by the Home Minister to take revenge for continuous news coverage by Kantipur about fraud victims of cooperative organizations.
"There have been attempts to attack me by using state power in different periods for writing news articles," Sirohiyastated. He warned that such efforts will not deter him, vowing not to be disturbed by attempts to cover up the situation.
The arrest warrant against the media heavyweight has sparked concerns over press freedom. Sirohiya alleged the Home Minister was abusing his authority to muzzle critical reporting about his handling of issues like the cooperative fraud cases.
The citizenship dispute case relates to questions raised over Sirohiya's citizenship status. However, he has framed it as a broader attack on independent media by the current government amid the crackdown against fraud-accused cooperatives.
Both the Home Ministry and the District Court have yet to officially comment on Sirohiya's allegations of revenge and misuse of power.
