KATHMANDU: CPN-UML Lumbini Province Assembly member Rekha Kumari Sharma has been arrested on charges of abusing a minor employed as a domestic worker.
A team from the Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Office arrested her from her residence in Dhumbarahi, Kathmandu, on Sunday night. Sharma is an elected provincial assembly member from the UML.
She had been accused about a year and a half ago of exploiting child labor by employing a minor girl as a domestic worker in her home for six years and subjecting her to physical abuse.
The girl was reportedly beaten repeatedly, and when her condition deteriorated, Kathmandu Metropolitan City rescued her from Sharma’s residence.
At the time, the government attorney’s office had decided not to file a case against Sharma. The decision drew criticism, particularly as it came when UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli was serving as Prime Minister.
The National Human Rights Commission later reviewed the case after protests erupted over alleged political interference and impunity for those in power.
Then Kathmandu Metropolitan City Mayor Balendra Shah (Balen) had also publicly questioned the decision, asking why action had not been taken against Sharma despite serious allegations of violence against a minor.
In a social media post at the time, Shah criticized the lack of accountability and emphasized the need for justice, awareness, and education to combat such crimes and systemic discrimination.
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