KATHMANDU: Police have arrested the leader of the Prachanda-Nepal faction of the Nepal Communist Party (NCP) Ram Kumari Jhakri from her house.
Police arrested Jhakri by handing over an arrest warrant under the ‘act of treason against the state’ from her Shankhamul-based residence at 1 pm today.
Chanting slogans against Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and President Bidya Bhandari, a huge number of cadres of the disgruntled faction gathered near Jhakri’s residence and protested after police reached Jhakri’s residence to arrest her.
The arrest warrant has been handed over to her in line with Section 58 of the Treason, Act.
Chief of the Metropolitan Crime Branch, SSP Deepak Thapa, had summoned Jhakri to question over a comment she had made on President Bidya Devi Bhandari.
Earlier, leader Jhakri had challenged police to bring an arrest warrant if they wanted to take her under control, arguing that it was a political issue and the parties and civil society are fighting it.
“It’s a political issue. We are taking to the streets,” she told reporters at her residence, “I have asked police to bring an arrest warrant to detain me.”
Stating that the president is not an individual but an institution, he said that the person elected to the post should not be in favor of any party or an individual.
Earlier, the government had pressurized the police to arrest Jhakri. The government has accused Jhakri of insulting the dignity of the president.
The All Nepal Women’s Association of the PM KP Oli faction had handed over a memorandum to Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa last week demanding action against Jhakri.
The association had demanded to arrest and take action against her for ‘tainting the character of President Bhandari’.
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