The editors of the mainstream media have sent a letter to Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal stating that Kailash Sirohia, Chairman of Kantipur Media Group has been arrested for the purpose of creating pressure and panic on the press. The editors conclude that the manner in which President Sirohia has been arrested without ever being questioned by the government agencies about the allegations against him has raised serious questions.

“The circumstances under which Kailash Sirohia was arrested, with the allegations, raises serious questions. In the letter sent by 31 editors to the Prime Minister, we have taken the incident of the police entering and arresting the media house as an objective to create pressure and panic on the press. Yesterday he was suddenly arrested for some technical issues related to citizenship.  This matter will now be determined by the court.'

Home Minister Ravi Lamichhane himself and Gorkha Media Network, which he previously partnered with, embezzled about one billion rupees deposited by the common man in various cooperatives.

'We also want to clarify why Home Minister Ravi Lamichhane is now hostile towards the media. The problem of co-operative fraud has become acute. Now billions of rupees saved by millions of Nepalis in cooperatives have been misappropriated and they have not got their own money back. Home Minister Ravi Lamichhane himself and the Gorkha Media Network, of which he was a partner earlier, have been continuously writing news that the media has embezzled about one billion rupees deposited by the public in various cooperatives. ;.'

The editors have also reminded the Prime Minister that the investigation conducted at the municipal level and the investigation conducted by the CIB of the Nepal Police itself have established that he and the media company he is managing have embezzled the funds of the cooperative.

'The Home Minister has stopped the prosecution and lawsuit against him by misusing his power. We also want to draw the attention of the Prime Minister and remind him that it is your responsibility to conduct the investigation conducted by the police on him fairly and to create an environment where the case can be prosecuted fairly.

When Lamichhane became the Home Minister for the first time, he reminded that he was not even a citizen of Nepal. 'Prime Minister, we would like to remind you that Ravi Lamichhane, who became Home Minister for the first time in your government, was not a citizen of Nepal. After the court's decision, he regained his Nepalese citizenship, but he was and still is a partner in the punishment for the serious crime of carrying passports of two countries at the same time. The third point of the letter is . 

editors have made it clear that they will not compromise on freedom of the press, the rule of law and their responsibilities. We editors who have been working in the Nepali media world for a long time are aware of press freedom, rule of law and our responsibilities. And, we want to make it clear that we will not make any compromises to protect it and fulfill our responsibilities.

This is the letter 

Editors' Joint Letter to the Prime Minister

Honorable Prime Minister,

editors working in Nepal's leading media would like to draw your attention to the following issues regarding the recent strike at the media house: 

1. Kailash Sirohia, president of Kantipur Media Group, was arrested by the police from his office on Tuesday. All the citizens of Nepal should follow the law equally and Sirohia should be punished according to the law if he does anything against the law. Sirohia himself has publicly stated that he is ready for this.

2. The circumstances under which Kailash Sirohia was arrested, with such allegations, has raised serious questions. We have taken the incident of the police entering and arresting any media house as the purpose of creating pressure and panic on the press.  He has never been questioned by government agencies about the allegations against him. Yesterday he was suddenly arrested for some technical issues related to citizenship.  This matter will now be determined by the court itself.

3.   Prime Minister, we would like to remind you — for the first time in your government, Home Minister Banda Ravi Lamichhane was not a citizen of Nepal. Although he regained Nepalese citizenship after the court's decision, he was and still is a partner in the punishment for the serious crime of carrying passports of two countries at the same time. 

4. We also want to clarify why Home Minister Ravi Lamichhane is now attacking the media with hostility. The problem of co-operative fraud has become acute. Now billions of rupees saved by millions of Nepalis in cooperatives have been misappropriated and they have not got their own money back. Home Minister Ravi Lamichhane himself and the Gorkha Media Network of which he was formerly a partner have embezzled about one billion rupees kept by the common people in various cooperatives, the media is constantly writing news. He said that this news written by the media was a 'media trial' on him while standing in the dignified Parliament. While the investigations conducted at the municipal level and the investigation conducted by the CIB of the Nepal Police itself have established that he and the media company he is managing have embezzled the funds of the cooperative. The Minister of Home Affairs has stopped the prosecution and trial against him by misusing his power. We would also like to draw the attention of the Prime Minister and remind him that it is your responsibility to conduct the investigation conducted by the police on him fairly and to create an environment where the case can be prosecuted fairly.

5. We editors who have been working in the Nepali media world for a long time are aware of press freedom, the rule of law and our responsibilities. And we also want to make it clear that we will not make any compromises to protect it and fulfill our responsibility.

icon prime -  Barakhari

Shiv Village -  Online news

Amit Dhakal -  Setopati

Kiran Nepal - Investigative Journalism Center

Yuvraj Ghimire - Desh Sanchar

Sudhir Sharma

Madan Lamsal - Economic Campaign

Bimal Gautam -  Lokantar

Sagar Pandit -  Nepal newspaper

Rajaram Gautam - 

Sujit Mahat - Ukalo

Purna Basnet -  Nepal Khabar

Basant Basnet – Online Khabar

Hari Bahadur Thapa -  Bahrakhari

Umesh Chauhan- Kantipur

Rameshwar Bohra -  Ukalo

Koshraj Koirala -  Republic Daily

Gunraj Luintel -  Citizen Daily

Rupesh Shrestha - Kantipur TV

Akhand Bhandari - Annapurna Post

Vishwas Baral -  The Kathmandu Post

Saroj Mishra -  Rajdhani Daily

Arun Baral -  Khabarhub

Kamaldev Bhattarai - Annapurna Express