KATHMANDU: Press Council Nepal has expressed serious concern over a threatening statement allegedly made to its chairperson in his office and what it described as insulting behaviour toward its staff.
In a press statement issued jointly on Tuesday by Press Council board members Namrata Sharma, Raviraj Baral, Upasana Ghimire and Prakash Bhakta Mathema, the council strongly condemned the incident.
According to the council, a discussion was underway with the leadership of the Federation of Nepali Journalists on the issue of public welfare advertisements on Ashoj 13. During the discussion, journalist Dipak Pandey allegedly made threatening remarks toward the council chairperson, including, “I’ll pick you up and throw you out the window.”
The statement also said that other participants behaved disrespectfully toward council employees while discussions were underway in the chairperson’s office regarding the demands of the Print Media Protection Suggestion Task Force.
The council said disagreements and discussions are natural, but threatening language and undignified behaviour during dialogue cannot be accepted.
The council said it will continue to respect the right to raise professional demands, while expecting dignified and responsible conduct during institutional dialogue.
Comment