KATHMANDU: Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has admitted that one of its members was involved in the assault on senior advocate Dinesh Tripathi on January 15 at the Kathmandu District Court premises.
Mahendra Pandey, also known as Mahananda Jaisi, a founding vice-chair of RSP Humla, has been identified as one of the attackers. Tripathi, who was representing cooperative victims in a fraud case against RSP chair Rabi Lamichhane, was reportedly manhandled and assaulted by Pandey and others. Following Tripathi’s complaint, the police have arrested three individuals.
The arrested include Lalit Kumar KC, a resident of Tikatali, Lalitpur, and Sita Rai, known as Sheetal, both of whom were involved in the incident. While Rai is allegedly the chair of RSP Kathmandu-32, the party has yet to clarify her official status.
Acting General Secretary Kabindra Burlakoti confirmed that Mahendra Jaisi is an active member of RSP. However, the party denies that Jaisi was directly involved in the assault. RSP had previously issued a statement on the day of the incident, committing to take action against any member found guilty of involvement.
Burlakoti has reiterated the party’s stance, stating that evidence of Jaisi’s involvement would lead to immediate action, though he maintained Jaishi was present but did not participate in the assault.
Jaisi is known to be close to RSP chair Lamichhane. He joined RSP after contesting against Lamichhane in the Chitwan-2 by-election on April 23, 2023, where he garnered 18 votes. Since joining, he has been active within the party and frequently visited its central office, often confronting individuals critical of Lamichhane.
Among the arrested, KC, a resident of Tikatali, Lalitpur, is not an RSP member. Despite applying for membership, his application has not been processed. KC is considered a supporter rather than a formal member of the party.
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